[gatortalk] Fwd: [gatornews] Mike Bianchi

Ouch!  Mike Bianchi doesn't mince words here. I'm sure there's Urban's side to this story. We've already heard some of it. It was "overblown."

OSU better look out!  It will be just as bad there. Or worse, as Michigan appears sure to improve. 

Seems Meyer wins at whatever the cost. 

Oliver Barry, CRS, GRI

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Bob Parks, LLC

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Begin forwarded message:

From: "John Bowers" <jbowers4@cfl.rr.com>
Date: April 11, 2012 9:33:30 AM CDT
To: "Gator News" <gatornews@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [gatornews] Mike Bianchi
Reply-To: gatornews+owners@googlegroups.com

 

Urban Meyer preaches discipline, practices dishonesty

7:06 p.m. EST, April 10, 2012

 

Mike Bianchi, SPORTS COMMENTARY

Many University of Florida fans have lambasted me in the past because they say I unfairly portray former UF and current Ohio State coach Urban Meyer as an arrogant, disingenuous phony who preaches discipline and practices dishonesty.

I will admit now that those fans were absolutely right.

I have unfairly portrayed Meyer.

The fact is, he's much more duplicitous and dishonest than I ever thought possible.

After reading the results of a three-month investigation conducted by The Sporting News even Florida fans will have to admit that those two national championships won by Meyer need to be quarantined and fumigated before they are returned to the trophy case.

The Sporting News story starts with Meyer, the new coach at Ohio State, relentlessly pursuing Maryland prep All-American wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who'd narrowed his choices to Ohio State, Florida and Maryland. In the midst of the recruiting process, Meyer reportedly "told the Diggs family that he wouldn't let his son go to Florida because of significant character issues in the locker room."

That's right, Meyer is so shady that he negative-recruited against himself. He used the discipline problems he created and fostered at Florida to try and lure top prospects to Ohio State. This is pathetic even for Meyer, a pathological coaching arson who left behind a toxic, troubled program at UF and then set it on fire in a desperate attempt to get a five-star wide receiver.

The Sporting News article goes on to detail how elite players at UF were rarely punished despite serious allegations. Among the most troubling of the incidents came in 2008 when star wide receiver Percy Harvin allegedly went unpunished after he physically assaulted Billy Gonzalez, who was then his position coach at UF. According to the story, Harvin ended up "grabbing (Gonzalez) by the neck and throwing him to the ground. Harvin had to be pulled off Gonzales by two assistant coaches—but was never disciplined."

Meyer is also accused of covering up for star players in his preferred "Circle of Trust." One such incident reportedly occurred before the 2008 season opener when Harvin and former linebacker Brandon Spikes allegedly missed the season-opener because of a failed drug test, but Meyer made it seem like they were hurt.

"They were running with us on the first team all week in practice," one former player said. "The next thing you know, they're on the sidelines with a (walking) boot for the season opener like they were injured. …"

Former safety Bryan Thomas told The Sporting News: "The program was out of control. … "(Meyer) lost the team's respect. That kind of stuff spreads through the players. They see what they can get away with, and they push it. Even the star players; they liked him because they were in the Circle of Trust. But it backfired on him. They didn't respect him. … He's a bad person."

Not even Tim Tebow can clean up Meyer's fraudulent image anymore. Remember when Meyer came to Florida and preached discipline and bragged about how he only recruited players whose character ranked in "the top 1 percent of the top 1 percent." He then went on to compile one of the most embarrassing arrest records in college football.

And remember when he left Florida purportedly to spend more time with his family and to take care of some mysterious health issues? He took a job at ESPN just a few weeks later and took over at Ohio State only 10 months after leaving UF.

Those alleged serious health issues that caused Meyer to resign at UF so he could obtain a much-needed balance in his life? Meyer told a reporter at the Salt Lake Tribune recently that those health and lifestyle factors were "overblown."

Translation: The main health issue that caused Meyer to resign at UF was a sick program he left on life support. Meyer bolted UF because his program was imploding. He left new coach Will Muschamp with a crumbling shell of a team that was bereft of discipline, decency and depth.

Now he reportedly has the audacity to tell top recruits not to go Florida because the locker room is filled with discipline and character issues he created.

Apparently, he's not just Urban Liar.

He's also Urban Hypocrite.

mbianchi@tribune.com. Follow him on Twitter @BianchiWrites. Listen to his radio show every weekday from 6 to 9 a.m. on 740 AM.

Copyright © 2012, Orlando Sentinel

 

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