“Waaaaaaaaaaaaa! Waaaaaaaaa!”
During a recent Gator Club appearance, Urban Meyer slammed former Florida quarterback Shane Matthews (although he didn’t have the guts to call him out by name) for the way he criticized Meyer’s game plan on a radio show following UF’s loss to Ole’ Miss last season.
“If you want to be critical of a player on our team or a coach on our team you can buy a ticket for seat 37F, you’re not welcome back in the football office,” Meyer said, according to the report. “You’re either a Gator or you’re not a Gator.”
The rift apparently started when Matthews criticized the offense following the 31-30 loss to Mississippi — the game that produced Tim Tebow’s now-famous postgame speech.
“When I watched the Ole Miss game and Ole Miss played our wide receivers about 90 percent man-to-man, it was a slap in the face to our wide receivers and passing game. I can’t understand why we didn’t take advantage of that,” Matthews said at the time, according to the report.
You’re either a Gator or you’re not a Gator? How profound, especially coming from a Midwest guy who didn’t become a Gator himself until after stints at Ohio State, Illinois State, Colorado State, Notre Dame, Bowling Green and Utah. Matthews was a Gator long before Meyer was ever crying about the way Florida is treated.
Former Miami defensive lineman Dan Sileo said it best in the article when he noted:
“Urban Meyer’s not a Gator. He’s a caretaker of the Gator program,” Sileo said. “Most times these coaches think they’re the programs, but really, the program is the players. That’s the problem I have with coaches whose egos get too big for their britches. If Urban doesn’t like it, that’s too bad.”
Meyer is always crying about something and it’s ridiculous for him to say that a former Florida player can’t be critical of the program when they lose a game. Most college coaches have egos the size of Michigan Stadium and they all think that everyone should bow down to “their” program.
What a joke. Matthews is in the media – he’s doing his job. He would be criticized if he didn’t bash the Gators when they deserve it and fans would quickly point out how much of a homer he is.
