While I don't see this as a reflection on UF (yet), I think it's a major indictment of that corch up in Columbus.
Was Meyer a bad influence on his players? Of course not. From the outside looking in, I see him as
no influence, for better or worse. None at all. And that's where he failed a lot of kids. His players arrived in Gainesville predisposed to certain behaviors, from Hernandez at the bottom of the spectrum (at least I HOPE he was the bottom) to Tebow up top. And for the most part, Meyer let them be who they were going to be. And it's becoming more and more evident that he swept a lot under the rug and covered for his more talented players when they got in trouble. He was, and probably still is, a classic enabler. Let's put aside the question of whether someone with Hernandez's background belonged at UF in the first place, given Meyer's oh-so-strict .01% standard (snicker). If he had received more discipline at UF, would he be in the trouble he is today? There's no way of knowing. But we DO know that Meyer's approach (such as it was) sure as hell didn't work. And Hernandez isn't the only one. Lest we forget Chris Rainey, who was arrested in Gainesville for threatening to kill his girlfriend. He missed a few games, but was reinstated after consecutive losses to bama and LSU. Way to send a strong message, Corch. And surprise surprise, Rainey just got in trouble
again this year for domestic violence, directly leading to his release by the Steelers. It's become abundantly clear that Meyer was running one of the most lawless programs that CFB has ever seen- and that's just based on what we
know. There's no telling what all was swept under the rug that may never see the light of day. He absolutely belongs in the same breath as guys like Switzer, Johnson, and Erikson. In fact, he's probably worse than any of them.
The real crime is that while Meyer was failing these kids in life, he was building one hell of a coaching resume on the backs of their on-field efforts. A resume that he parlayed into a $5M+ job at OSU. Seriously, has this guy no shame?
As I said, as of now, I don't see this as a reflection on UF. However, that could change. If it's proven that Jeremy Foley and/or other UF brass had direct knowledge of these players' behavior and allowed Meyer to cover for them anyway, then they are just as culpable he is. Given all the conflicting information that's come out of Gainesville regarding Hernandez's background and his number of failed drug tests, this is a distinct possibility. But until proven otherwise, UF gets the benefit of the doubt from me.
