In case you thought ESPN was going to be respectful of Urban Meyer, think again. Andrea Adelson is apparently today's hot-take artist who has decided to write some dreck practically defaming Urban Meyer's character.
His 2008 Florida championship team represents everything that was so good about Meyer -- and everything that helps taint his legacy. On the one hand, he had Tim Tebow, won SEC and national championships and had 19 players eventually selected in the NFL draft. On the other hand, that team included Percy Harvin (accused of choking an assistant coach), Aaron Hernandez (convicted of murder) and Chris Rainey (made headlines in 2010 for texting a death threat to his girlfriend) -- just to name three.
So, in case you were not aware:
- The alleged victim (Billy Gonzales) in the Percy Harvin matter said it never happened
- Urban Meyer removed Chris Rainey from the team upon his arrest
- And seriously, bringing up Aaron Hernandez is just tacky and stupid.
Adelson blathers on:
The championship itself is inseparable from the means it took to get the championship, and that is why the Meyer legacy is not now and never will be a simple look at wins and losses. It's the reason that in Florida he is known as "Urban Liar." At Ohio State, he remains beloved.
I would question first of all whether he really is "known as" that epithet, and moreover, whether the problems with the team are the reason for that epithet. My impression was UF fans are bitter because they could not replicate his success and blame him for it. Irrespective, it is tacky and dishonest to put message-board material into an article and claim it as fact.
For every win, there are the negatives that trail him: His past at Florida. Zach Smith. Meyer looking defiant and unapologetic during the news conference that cleared his return this season. The way he offered excuses for the myriad decisions that put him in a place where the focus cannot be on the wins exclusively.
Adelson never seems to consider that Meyer looked defiant and unapologetic because Urban Meyer did not do anything wrong. And to beg the question by deriding his explanations as "excuses" evinces a small mind incapable of processing complicated cases intellectually. Occam's Razor, Andrea: does Meyer seem defiant and offer explanations because he's telling the truth, or because Ohio State, Urban Meyer, multiple police departments, and a $2000 an hour law firm are all engaged in a conspiracy. Gee, that's tough.
Nobody discusses Meyer without mentioning the way he oversaw, overlooked and, ultimately, condoned bad behavior just to get a few more victories and championships.
No, Andrea, actually many, many people do not feel the need to dredge up 10-year-old misdemeanors and murders that have nothing to do with the man. If you cannot discuss Meyer without bringing these things up, that's a *you* problem.
Meyer could have been remembered for the championships. But that is simply impossible. His pristine on-field legacy is damaged, and Meyer only has himself to blame for that.
No mention of McMurphy's journalistic malpractice, of course. In actuality, the reason Meyer's reputation is "damaged" is because of people like you, Andrea, who go off half-cocked and either willfully ignorant or unable to use Google, to show the world how virtuous you are. Truly, this a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
