At the beginning of the season a lot of chatter popped up about how Coach Muschamp allowed DeMarcus Robinson, Darious Cummings, and Jay-nard Bostwick to return from suspension after the cancellation of the Idaho game. Coach Muschamp was roundly criticized by the media and other fan bases for this move. I had no issue with the way Muschamp handled the situation.
Mr. Cummings’s and Mr. Bostwick’s suspensions occurred for violations of team rules that Coach Muschamp believed were resolved fairly and favorably to his satisfaction. Mr. Robinson’s suspension originated from some sort of infraction with the university that resolved itself; to be clear Mr. Robinson’s suspension did not seem to be connected to his involvement with football or anything football team related. The University said he complied with what he had to do and the University was satisfied with his compliance.
Mr. Cummings and Mr. Bostwick’s “crimes” occurred as a result of not doing something within the framework of Muschamp’s rules and regulations. A head coach should be able to mete out punishment that he sees fit for these types of infractions. They are contained within the team and I think that a head coach has a better pulse regarding these types of issues than I do as a fan, spectator, or sportswriter.
Whatever was holding Mr. Robinson out of participating against Idaho seems to have been cleared up with the University of Florida. If the university has cleared him to play I am also fine with Coach Muschamp’s decision to let him play. I do not have to do mental gymnastics to see Muschamp’s reasoning from his perspective on any of these suspensions.
Moreover, these kind of violations should be handled by the head coach and the University with the leeway in which they handled them. These were violations within the universe of the University and the Gator football team and they were handled by the people best suited to do so. However, the issue here revolving around their “suspensions” illustrated a deep divide in college football over discipline that was boiling over into college football because of the inept and bumbling way the NFL handled the Ray Rice, Greg Hardy, Ray McDonald, and Adrian Peterson scandals.
The perceived outrage was just another way for critics of the University of Florida to shovel more dirt on the program left stained by Urban Meyer. The outrage merely kept the dialogue going about how the NFL and other professional sports teams and leagues should handle discipline. However, these critics and their perceived outrage were simply sound and fury signifying nothing.
Moreover, during the week of the LSU game Mr. Treon Harris came under suspicion for an alleged sexual assault. The University of Florida immediately suspended Mr. Harris from the football team while UPD investigated the alleged assault. The investigation did not yield charges and Mr. Harris was immediately restored to the team and the University of Florida.
Once again I did not need to perform mental gymnastics to understand why the University of Florida and acted in the fashion it did. The serious allegations leveled against Harris dictated that the people responsible for handling it; UPD, Mr. Harris, his attorney, the witnesses and the alleged victim handle it with gravitas by putting football in its proper perspective.
On Saturday we will face off against Georgia, they will be missing Todd Gurley who is serving a four game suspension from the NCAA for accepting money in connection with autographs. I commend Mr. Gurley for accepting responsibility for his role in the “scandal”. I will not pass on the merits of whether a current player should be able to be compensated in this manner; that is for another time. However, his suspension and the suspension of Treon Harris illustrate a huge problem in college football right now.
Juxtaposition exists between universities and how they handle these scandals. In Gainesville and Athens, the adults have taken over the conversation and the decision-making process. Players sit pending the outcomes of investigations. Other universities have not taken this approach. Other universities have decided to let the other factors dictate what happens to their players. With other universities and other coaches I have to do mental gymnastics.
I understand why some people do not want to suspend players before investigations are complete; most people contend it convicts the players before they are proven guilty. I disagree. Playing football is not a right guaranteed by the constitution or by law. Playing football is a privilege. Suspending players does not mean we are slipping into a police state. It simply means that people are making a conscious choice to treat serious incidents with the gravitas needed.
Another scandal has tainted Florida State University the recent allegations regarding Karlos Williams. I am not positing Mr. William’s guilt or innocence; that is determined by the criminal justice system. However, instead of letting Mr. Williams focus on the allegations and putting football in the proper perspective; Florida State started him against Louisville. Florida State also has allowed Jameis Winston play while the Florida State investigates allegations regarding autographed memorabilia. The polar opposite way in which Florida State has handled these scandals illustrates a divide in college football. The disparity in how programs treat criminal and NCAA violation allegations is putting teams at competitive disadvantages.
Taking a deeper look at the problem is in order. Schools simply treat discipline differently, rightly or wrongly. Additionally, most head coaches tend to treat discipline differently than some of us out here in the “real” world. Stadium steps and praying for a misdemeanor do not constitute player discipline. Additionally, schools have wildly different variations for how they deal with arrests versus convictions, let alone investigations. Chaos reigns supreme.
However, it doesn’t need to be this way.
Currently, coaches and athletic directors at universities and colleges have major conflicts of interest in making these personnel decisions regarding their players and athletes. Coaches are financially and emotionally invested in their players. If a certain player does not play it could be the difference between playing the College Football Playoff and an also-ran bowl game. The coaches and athletic directors are too close to these situations to be able to make decisions for the good of the athletes and for the broader university. Player conduct has always been an issue, but the pressure to do something about it has intensified.
The NFL has had to take a closer look at player conduct as a larger public relations war that the League has had to conduct over the past few years. Say what you want about how the NFL had to be pressured into making a new policy because of “political” pressure, but in a league that values competitive balance and parity and a very strong players’ union the only way to make something work is to have league-wide policies that all the players are cognizant of. It is a matter of fairness to both other teams and the players themselves. Someone at the college level needs to take the steps towards this.
I do not trust the NCAA to be able to make and enforce these policies and decisions. They cannot even correctly investigate alleged improprieties without making mistakes. That is why the mantle of creating player conduct guidelines and enforcement should fall to the individual conferences. It also makes sense at this point in time because of the on-going market forces that are re-shaping major college football and the Big 5 conferences. However, something needs to be done.
Ideally, the SEC should set forth rules for player conduct. This would put pressure on other conferences to follow. If not, then the University of Florida should step up and set the standard for college football. At some point, the disparity would be addressed and pressure would be applied to other members of the SEC.
Renegade programs damage the reputation, value and prestige of the entire sport. Moreover, they overshadow all of the positives that having a highly recognized sports team and athletes provides to a university and a community. The current lack of consistency also leaves programs at a competitive disadvantage. The only fair way to address the inconsistency is to create uniform rules and expectations with systems and procedures to protect both the universities’ and players’ interests; otherwise, the unacceptable alternative is more of the same.
Florida was wrong to suspend Harris. It was a cowardly act by the President of the university. It was a case of throwing Mr. Harris under the bus without even bothering to find out if there was any evidence to substantiate the claim of one student. Georgia was right to suspend Gurley because there was someone that said he paid Gurley for autographs. What this article is just another excuse to slings mud at UF’s biggest rival. It starts off with the proposition that it is another “scandal” at FSU concerning running back Karlos Williams. The facts say differently. He has not been charged with anything and the alleged victim did not, and does not want to file a complaint. Without evidence of wrongdoing, why should Williams be suspended?As for the recurring attack on Winston, it’s just pathetic. Unlike Gurley, no one has said Winston was paid anything for his autograph and Winston has said he wasn’t paid. So what is the basis for suspending him? Should he be suspended because folks like you, who have no evidence to the contrary, don’t like it? I’m amazed at people like you, and you have plenty of company, that think UF did the right thing in suspending Harris and FSU did the wrong thing in not suspending Winston. I think it comes down to not being objective, instead you are being a typical fan of a rival that is having a horrible season and would like everyone, especially your rival, to join you.
If you have any evidence that Winston was paid, come forth with. Otherwise, you are just stating an opinion, and not an informed one, that is an emotional response. Let’s deal in facts, not opinion. If we do that, folks like Treon Harris won’t get thrown under the bus by folks like you that have not a clue what they are talking about, they just like to hear themselves talk. It makes them feel better because they know the fact that their team is horrible is too much to bear without trying to drag others down with them.
The point of the article is that discipline needs to be taken away from the coaches and universities so that a uniform system can be implemented. Allowing coaches and athletic departments to make the decision is crazy, they have conflicts of interest.
The point of bringing up FSU is to juxtapose them with how other universities have dealt with similar issues; however, you are entitled to your opinion as always, no matter how bad your reading comprehension skills may be. I am not positing guilt or innocence of anyone in the article.
I am arguing that letting the process work outside of football is what’s best for all involved. I also argue that a system with established rules and procedures is better than what we have now, which is chaos. If allegations are made there should be uniform rules for how teams respond to them; otherwise there are disparate results and teams that are lenient are given a competitive advantage over those that are strict.
I am not objective, I write for a site called Gator Country, this is not the Washington Post or the New York Times. Additionally, its an opinion piece and its my opinion; I happen to like mine more than yours because at least I am trying to establish objective criteria as a blueprint for everyone to function by the same rules.
You do not want to recognize that coaches and athletic departments, whose livelihood depends on these kids, have serious conflict of interest issues in deciding punishments for incidents that occur outside of the sphere of the team. You also seem to believe that playing football is more important than clearing their name or protecting the reputation of an institution of higher learning. I am sure you are the kind of fan that would have been supporting Joe Pa as the allegations trickled out that he harbored and protected a child molester for over a decade because football is more important than victims.
I don’t care that Florida State is successful; I know plenty of FSU alumni and don’t feel that their success impedes on Florida’s, we control our own destiny. However, for you not to acknowledge the overwhelming public opinion and perception that FSU’s players have created a PR nightmare for their university just shows that you have no clue that the continued “scandals” have a negative effect on FSU’s image, which spans greater than the football team.
My opinions about how UF handled Mr. Harris’s suspension are well known and I think we did the right thing. It took less than a week and he was exonerated. I am sure if Mr. Winston sat he would have not had sexual assault case against him go forward because it was very weak and I say that as a former prosecutor and graduate of UF. So no, I am not looking for blood, I am looking for uniformity so that everyone has a level playing field.
Terrific points Chris, well done sir.
Snowprint – It’s difficult to obtain, and work off of facts when your University and local police departments knowingly obstruct basic protocol in cases involving FSU players. The facts, as you prefer to go by, are whatever the local police and athletics department needs to them to be in order keep players out of trouble and on the field. My suggestion to you is to stop posting your ridiculous comments, maintain the position of your head being in the sand and enjoy your teams current success………….because it may not last much longer.
Very well written Chris. You make excellent points and of course fans from “other” universities will get defensive. Great story
Christopher…nicely articulated your embellency…
Village idiots–and I am not calling Snowprint a village idiot–will find fault with anything done in the UAA as long as Will Muschamp is head football coach; and maybe as long as Jeremy Foley is AD.
For Harris to be suspended for one week while the charges were sorted out is actually a trivial matter. To be seen as covering for a football player with that kind of charge pending is not a trivial matter. Every one who puts on the uniform of a Gator athlete takes on a responsibility to the University. They become accountable not only to the laws of the land, but for upholding the reputation of the institution. As a person who wore a uniform for 25 years, I understand that.
On the other hand if the woman acted maliciously and intentionally made a false charge, she should answer for that.
We may never know why the accusation was made; nor why it was withdrawn. But, the University, and the UAA are beyond reproach in this matter.
No question. The University is bigger than the football team [or any athletic team] and must protect itself. In protecting itself the University must be beyond any and all criticism. This is why I believe Florida and Georgia [also a rival having a successful season,, and a rival I hate much more than FSU, btw] responded in the appropriate way. FSU has left itself open to all sorts of criticism as well as possible legal and/or NCAA issues down the road should more information come out with their response, or lack there of when it comes to the issues discussed in this article.
– As an aside: The many comments from friends in person as well as online question why anyone would allow their daughter to ever attend FSU is enough to show a mistake has been made. There is a faction of people that believe FSU will not protect the female in these situations but instead error on the side of protecting football players. –
End of aside. I agree there should be some sort of governing body that has a uniform policy when it comes to the types of suspensions that are handed down so that all colleges either in a conference or nation-wide have to follow the same guidelines and suspension policies. I also believe that the University of Florida was smart and had every right to suspend Harris. it was the correct call. As I said before; the University must do this in order to protect itself. Florida and Georgia did this. FSU has not done this. This is why, as the article states, it is better for these decisions to be left out of the University’s hands altogether.