This Urban Meyer interview from ESPN College Gameday conducted by Chris Fowler is quite a special video. Honoring the recently past David Frost, this is kind of like a college football version of Frost/Nixon. (No, that’s an obscure reference, you know damn well what I’m talking about) Fowler does a good job handling Urban Meyer, who is clearly lying to him over and over and over again.
Oh, Urban Meyer is unaware that other coaches hate him? Or even have criticized him? Really? He’s never heard of Bret Bielema.
This is just a snippet. The full version airs on Gameday; or already has, I don’t know 4 hours of a pregame show? Even with the help of a DVR “ain’t nobody got time for that!” Even a three hour pregame show! I have to cover and write about games on Saturdays on Sundays, I don’t have the time.
But I don’t need to do a whole lot more due diligence on Urban Meyer. I know he had 25 players arrested at Florida, and 8 already at Ohio State. People hate him because he lets his players proverbially get away with murder. And I realize that Urban Meyer is just doing his job in this interview. I mean what’s he supposed to say? How’s he supposed to answer those questions?
Well, it’s not about people hating Urban Meyer just because he wins. There’s some hatred for Nick Saban out there; but it’s nothing like the vitriol for Urban Meyer. And it’s not because Meyer possibly, maybe cheats the system to get ahead. Almost all coaches possibly, maybe cheat the system to get ahead.
Urban Meyer is more egregious; and he’s the best at getting away with it. If it wasn’t clear before, it’s very obvious now: the true reason he left the University of Florida.
Paul M. Banks is the owner of The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports. An analyst for 95.7 The Fan, he also writes on Chicago sports media for Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks)