Urban Meyer emphatically denies talk of leaving Florida for Notre Dame
Having returned from a family vacation to learn of Paul Finebaum's column saying he will leave Florida at the end of the 2009 season for Notre Dame, Urban Meyer said he has no plans to ever coach at Notre Dame.
At a weekend golf tournament sponsored by Gainesville Sun columnist Pat Dooley, Meyer responded to questions about the column, and said he's concerned how stories of this type will affect the Gators' recruiting efforts.
If you bleed orange and blue, this blog is for you. The Gator Report is written by Florida beatwriter Antonya English and the staff of the St. Petersburg Times. We invite your comments and participation.
Antonya, can you address why columnists, like Paul Finebaum can write such stuff, when it's so off-base and wrong? Why would a newspaper editor print something like that, other than to sell papers, proving the newspaper is selling out its integrity for the almighty dollar? Care to comment? Just curious.
Posted by: GatorSphere | July 13, 2009 at 02:51 PM
Gatorsphere, dont wet yourself over the prospect of Meyer leaving. He will undoubtedly jump ship for ND at some point. UF is not his destination...
Posted by: Ron | July 13, 2009 at 03:02 PM
Earth to Ron - what exactly about "I am not going to ND ever", don't you get. How emphatic can the man be before you get the point. Regardless of what all you outsiders think, those of us that follow the program know that everything you hear about Meyer points to the fact that he is a man with integrity. He is not the kind to say something and then do something else a la Nick Saban. Anything else you might say is just wishful thinking.
Posted by: Gator92 | July 13, 2009 at 03:32 PM
haha get a load of Gator92, he used integrity and Meyers name in the same sentence. If thats not an oxymoron...
Posted by: Yippe | July 13, 2009 at 03:48 PM
Hey, Yippe, give me ONE example of when Meyer has done something to support your statement.
Posted by: Gator92 | July 13, 2009 at 04:21 PM
92, Intergrity is sticking to a high moral/ethical ground when you say you will. Meyer hasn't really backed up his famous line of "recruiting the top 1% of 1%" by having 25 arrests under his brief tenure.
Posted by: Shawn Pavone | July 13, 2009 at 04:48 PM
Response to GatorSphere
First let me say that I don't know Mr. Finebaum personally, so I can't speak about his intentions or what he may have heard that prompted writing the column. By definition, what is supposed to separate columnists from regular reporters like myself is that they are allowed to voice their OPINIONS. In fact, that's what they are most often asked to do. In general, the columns are based on things the columnist has observed, people they've talked to about the subject and what they've concluded based on those observations and converstations. But ultimately, you can just write what you think, because that's what you're getting paid to do - give an opinion.
Posted by: Antonya English | July 13, 2009 at 05:40 PM
Shawn - that is a dubious assertion at best. Yes it is true that under Meyer the Gators have had a significant amount of arrests, but to say that means Meyer has not been ethical in their recruiting, coaching or treatment before/after their arrests is unfounded. Don't look at the number of arrests, look at how he has handled them. By the way, Georgia and Florida state (plus countless others) have had a similar numbers of arrests over the same period and I don't think anyone would say Bowden or Richt don't have integrity. If you don't like a team or a coach that is one thing, but you don't have to assail the coach's charecter to say that. The fact is, if Meyer was losing, he would be a great guy in the eyes of our opponents.
Posted by: Gator92 | July 13, 2009 at 07:32 PM
yeah...because coaches have never said things like this before...
"i don't know how to say it...i'm not going to be the coach at Alabama..."
-Nick Saban, Dec. 21, 2006
Posted by: formerDL | July 13, 2009 at 10:51 PM
24 ARRESTS IN 4 YEARS IN A TOTAL JOKE.
PERIOD.
Posted by: 24 IN 4 | July 14, 2009 at 03:22 PM
ND is a clean program - would never recruit those Uf players - Percy Harvin was banned for his senior year in HS for spitting on ref. (look it up)quality recruiting. Top 1% of 1% is such a joke.
Posted by: UF CROOKS | July 15, 2009 at 10:12 AM
The ref probably deserved it. Have you seen some of the sorry calls those HS refs make???
Posted by: Roberto | July 15, 2009 at 10:44 AM
Two national championships in the last three years, that's quality recruiting.
Posted by: Mike | July 15, 2009 at 10:50 AM
And 3/4 of those players would not have been admitted to ND. Which is why Meyer will stay where he is.
Posted by: ND81 | July 15, 2009 at 09:23 PM
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Posted by: dans | July 17, 2009 at 02:49 AM