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Spikes suspends himself amidst controversy
Andrew O’Brien | aobrien7@gmail.com
Just days after Florida coach Urban Meyer announced the suspension of his All-American linebacker Brandon Spikes for the first half of their game Saturday against Vanderbilt, Spikes extended his suspension himself, and will sit out the entire game.
Spikes was originally suspended for only the first half of Saturday’s game after eye-gouging Georgia running back Washaun Ealey. However, Spikes decided he didn’t want to be a distraction to the team as they look to improve to 9-0 on the season and 7-0 in the SEC.
Meyer took a lot of flak for Spikes’ original punishment, with critics saying it wasn’t a severe enough suspension. However, Ealey admitted to the media earlier this week that Spikes shouldn’t be suspended at all, and the play was simply a part of the game and that it happens.
“That really didn’t matter to me,” Ealey said of the suspension. “That’s their decision. He shouldn’t, I think, get suspended at all. We were just out there playing football.”
Meyer believes his linebacker acted out of retaliation from a play earlier in the game that resulted in Spikes’ helmet getting ripped off.
Despite all the controversy, many people within the media were harsh on Meyer’s punishment, or lack thereof.
Pat Forde of ESPN.com specifically noted the situation in his weekly column, The Dash.
Forde wrote, “Florida Suspended Spikes for a half a game against the worst team in the Southeastern Conference. In a word: weak.”
However, players and coaches within the NCAA football community seemed as if the whole situation wasn’t such a big deal and it was getting blown out of proportion.
When it’s all said and done, Spikes decided it was in the best interest of his team to call himself out for the entire game Saturday.
“I really don’t want to be a distraction to the team,” Spikes said. “I want the guys to prepare without any negative things going on. I feel like if I would play, it would be a big thing. I’m just trying to stay out of the way and just motivate the guys.”
Meyer says Spikes approached him and defensive coordinator Charlie Strong Tuesday night to come to a group decision.
“A lot of negative things out there are really weighing heavy on his heart right now,” Meyer said. “As a group, we decided in the best interest just for the team to not play him Sat. It’s a group decision. We’re doing it out of respect for our team so we can focus on trying to win our ninth game. We think it’s the right thing to do.”
The Florida Gators will host Vanderbilt (2-7, 0-5) in Gainesville Saturday at 7:15 p.m. on ESPN2.
ESPN.com was used in this article.
