Defensive lineman Matt Patchan shot; expected to fully recover

Former Armwood All-American lineman and current Florida Gator defensive lineman Matt Patchan, was shot in the shoulder Friday night while a bystander at Sadie Park in Brandon.

According to Hillsborough County Sheriff's records, Patchan and a group of people were standing around in a group talking when an unknown black man pulled a handgun and started shooting toward the crowd.

Patchan was shot in the left shoulder, while former Armwood kicker Wesley Skiffington was shot in the right foot. The suspect fled in an unknown car.

Florida coach Urban Meyer issued a statement Monday morning, confirming that Patchan was shot, and that his injuries are not life-threatening.

"Matt Patchan was a gunshot victim Friday night at a Tampa-area park," Meyer said in the statement. "He was a bystander and shot in the left shoulder and is expected to fully recover in three weeks."

Reached by phone Monday morning, Patchan declined to comment.

"I've gotta go, I can't talk about it,'' Patchan said.

Armwood coach Sean Callahan said Monday morning he had talked with Patchan, adding that "he's fine.''

""I don't know what he was doing there or why they were there," Callahan said. "I don't know all the details. I just know he went to the Brandon hospital. They left (the bullet) in. It's not serious. It's in the soft tissue."

The 6-foot-7, 265-pound Patchan enrolled early at Florida in January after graduating from Armwood last December. Recruited as an offensive lineman, he was moved to the defensive line during spring practice. He is expected to be a major contributor this fall.

-- ANTONYA ENGLISH, IZZY GOULD and KEITH NIEBUHR

Comments

Lets hope for a speedy recovery. This is a terrible news. Hopefully they find the thug that did this.

thugs the only ppl that shoot guns?

[Ben]

I'm sure he had NOTHING to do with it. Right. Someone finally got tired of his smarta$$ mouth and put a bullet in him.

im sick of you people thinkin everyone who shoots a gun is a thug. are redneck people who go out hunting, shooting guns, thugs? please just shut the ____ up!

[tj]

I agree with the last comment.His coach said it best " he didn't know why he was hanging out there".
Surround yourself in bad places and with bad people, and bad things will happen.

[Hawks]

It is possible he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. However, I doubt it. I am not saying he is a bad kid. However, the kid should not have been in that park anyway. I do not know any more about this story than the next guy. However, as a father I aske this question. What time did this take place. If it were at 6 pm then he may have been visiting with friends. If it were midnight or later....wellllllllll. You get the picture.

[Bill]

I'd say a dealer is a thug if he shoots you after a transaction.

[Nole]

Yes, people who shoot other people, unless in self defense are thugs. black or white does not come into it, but they are all thugs. can you not see that? Shooting a gun doesn't make you a thug, but shooting other people does.

[Growl]

Is Sadie Park a bad place or something?

[Teri]

This is aweful, I wish him a speedy recovery.
I'm sure this is a surprise for all those folks who constantly say the only crime is in South St. Pete...surprise surprise!!

[bdiddy]

A thug does not have to be a particular color. They are many thugs both white and black. Why should he not be at a skate park? What happened to the good ol days of fighting someone toe to toe.

[Larry]

Sadie Park is not a bad place to be!!! Adults and children play basketball, volleyball, baseball,softball, and Flag football. I've been to the park many times, and never had problems. I'm sure there has been issues, but issues happen everywhere. Black and whites play at the park all the time!!!

[anonymous]

Unless you have all the facts then you really shoudn't comment. A gun was pulled and he got shot in the back by a black kid trying to be a gangster

People usually get shot for a reason. I find it hard to believe he was out walking his dog and got shot.

Whatever the reason I'm sure he'll be fine, recover, and have a good season. But PLEASE do not make this guy out to be an innocent victim.

[jason]

I second last comment. I'm sure he wasn't some innocent victim. Wrong place, wrong time? NO. Was he minding his own business? Prob not. Did someone just come shoot him for no apparent reason? Doubt it. Stay in Gainesville young man where your a lowly Freshman, instead of coming back thinking your the big-dog, those days are over for now.

[Jack Coffee]

This was for pot. This is a huge problem at UF under Urban Meyer. They all use pot. I know I graduated from there. He got shot by a dealer. UF will do nothing again.

Was not anything at all to do with drugs.

[HERBan Myer]

he is one the top 1%

we're just glad that he wasn't charged with anything other than stupidity ... it's harder for me to get people off for crimes unless they do commit them here in Alachua county

Idiots, morons, and inbreds:

People that shoot other people over disputes, legal or otherwise, are "thugs". Self defense or defense of property/others aside.

[Eric]

http://wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=thug

Definition: An agressive and violent young criminal. Goon, punk, hoodlum, etc.

The only reason there is any racial tension in these comments is because Tupac and other rappers decided to take "Thug" and make it a black identifier.

The fact that you are assuming someone using the word thug is saying "black kid" means that you've bought into that idea.

[Rob]

Wow...some of you really need to begin careers as fiction writers. You have this being a drug deal gone bad or a case of thuggery before any official word has been given or charges filed. Do you really have such a level of hatred towards all things related to UF that you feel the need to make up your own conclusions and post them as facts? If so you are truely ignorant and need to find some greater meaning in life. The only facts that we have are that two kids were gunshot victims on Friday night. Anything else at this point is meaningless speculation.

A Gator player shot, in the area? Oh my, I bet the offices at the St. Meyer Times were shellshocked today.

Then again, it gives them an excuse to keep ignoring Jamar Hornsby.

Someone who shoots another person is a THUG! No question about it. Sometimes a guy goes places he shows his face in places he shouldn't. I guess he is not as smart as he and his dad thunk he is.

He is finding out he may not be the toughest guy in town (especially if the other guy has a gun).

I agree with those mentioned above-bad things happen to bad people.... this is karma finally taking its toll. He always thought he was a Big Shot…ironic?

First a player dies in a motorcycle accident, then a player gets caught using a dead person's gas card, and now an incoming freshmen shot. Just what national contending programs are made of. If this were the University of Miami there would be a SI cover to end the program!!!