Florida’s Off The Field Problems

While the Florida Gators, particularly in the Tim Tebow era, were known nationally more-so for winning year in and year out than anything else, there is an alarming trend that has begun in recent years that they are about to be perhaps just as well-known for. Unfortunately for Florida, it’s not a good thing. The problem is the off the field issues of the football team. Since Urban Meyer has taken over as coach of the football program, there have been 28 arrests of members on the team, including Frankie Hammond’s most recent DUI.

Hammond has been suspended for his DUI, a sad case, in which Hammond was not only arrested for the DUI, but he is underage, and he had an open container in the car. It is about time that Hammond was suspended, due to the fact that in the last 6 months, there were other incidents that did not result in suspension from Meyer’s crew. Aaron Hernandez was arrested for marijuana possession. Wondy Pierre-Louis assaulted a female. Carlos Dunlap fell asleep at the wheel at a red light, very much so over the effects of alcohol. All of this happened within the last 6 months. The Florida Gators are beginning to look like the old Cincinatti Bengals, and it is a shame.

The numbers don’t lie, 28 arrests and counting since Meyer took over as football coach at Florida. Not to mention some of his players that stayed out of trouble in college that got into trouble when they made it on into the NFL. It is unknown why exactly this trend is beginning at such a power program like Florida, but it needs to come to a stop. Florida is a program that prides itself on winning. Winning brings in the money, which brings more recruits and more winning. The off the field issues however could eventually lead to some form of punishment on the program.

The suspension of Hammond is a good start, but it is not going to fix all of the issues. Meyer needs to let it be known that if you mess up off of the field that you are not going to get a second chance to be on the winning program. Maybe then, and only then, will his players finally step up and start acting like men, opposed to how they have been behaving as of late.

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