Urban Meyer Threatens Reporter

Jeremy Fowler, a reporter for the Orlando Sentinel, was in the line of fire Wednesday at the close of a Florida spring practice session.

Fowler was among two dozen reporters watching coaches and players exit the field when coach Urban Meyer approached the group and went after Fowler for a story he filed Monday. Fowler's story contained a quote from Deonte Thompson suggesting the receiver was happy to be playing with a quarterback not named Tim Tebow.

"You never know with Tim," Thompson said. "You can bolt, you think he's running but he'll come up and pass it to you. You just have to be ready at all times. With [John] Brantley, everything's with rhythm, time. You know what I mean, a real quarterback."

Meyer, who claimed Fowler misrepresented Thompson's comments, ripped into the reporter, with the exchange videotaped by Steve Johnson of Gator Bait.

Meyer: "You’ll be out of practice — you understand that? — if you do that again. I told you five years ago: Don't mess with our players. Don't do it. You did it. You do it one more time and the Orlando Sentinel's not welcome here ever again. Is that clear? It's yes or no."

Fowler: "Urban, come on. Don't make any threats. That’s fine. I'll play by rules.  But all I was doing is quoting the guy. I don't think I was the only one."

Meyer: "You're a bad guy, man. You’re a bad guy."

Fowler: "Thanks Urban, I appreciate that."

Meyer: "Maybe when you get a chance, call his family and all that and help them out with it [the controversy Fowler's blog post created]. The kid has never been in trouble one time. He's a great student, a great kid and you're going to do that [to him]?"

Meyer then issued his threats: "If that was my son, we'd be going at it right now."

As he walked away, Meyer told Fowler to "be very careful."

Meyer retreated to greet his daughter Nikki. "Seconds later, they both turned in our direction and Meyer pointed toward me," Fowler wrote on the newspaper's Swamp Things blog.

It's one thing to try and bully a reporter, but another to threaten one. At the least, Meyer owes Fowler and apology before the same group of reporters who witnessed the threats. A reprimand would be in order, but Florida's probably as spineless as its coach.

Wednesday marked the latest round of irrational behavior and jackassery from Meyer, who has barred reporters from talking with players or coaches until further notice.

In the December run-up to the Sugar Bowl, Meyer announced that he would be taking an indefinite leave for health reasons. But he hung around long enough for the recruiting season to end before taking a vacation to Hawaii, which apparently did him little good.

Meyer is said to be one who can never relax, and a check of the local criminal justice system is probably why. The Sentinel reported last year that the "arrest rate for the football team going back to Meyer's first season in 2005 is roughly 10 percent (24 arrests out of 239 players listed on the official roster).

"Compare these numbers to the general population. In 2004, the last year statistics are available, the Uniform Crime Reporting Program of the Department of Justice reported the arrest rate in the United States to be 4.7 percent (4,752.4 arrests per 100,000 residents)."

To put it in perspective, Florida players are more than twice as likely to be arrested than a member of the general population.

Meyer took a shot last August at Illinois' Ron Zook, who preceded Meyer at Florida. Meyer said freshmen under Zook were treated as "non-people." Zook fired back, saying he was disappointed because the comment came "from someone who wasn't there at the time."

Florida's next practice is Friday, and Fowler writes that he'll be there, "with questions ready."

Comments

[Todd E. Jones]

Sounds like somebody who is already sweating the absence of Tebow.

[bevo]

Meyers is such an infantile bully. In other words, he is a coach.

[Jason]

Cool!

[T-Bone]

Somebody should tell Urban to relax, this isn't worth having a heart attack and quitting over.

[andy]

College football players are not members of the general public nor should they be compared directly to them. They are males between the ages of 18-23. The crime rate of the group is significantly higher than the general population.

[renaissance costume]

Hmmm I think the coach is just doing his job.. Protecting his players.. Those issues can intimidate the players and can be a factor that will affect their game which is a no no.

[ted]

the article was in poor taste....the university of florida has every right to limit access to its players..especially with regard to media members with axes to grind

[Purple People Eater]

So it's not okay for an experienced receiver to try to build confidence in his new quarterback by talking good about him in the press?

When did that change, Urban? Get over it.

[spreadoption]

Typical coach: jackass. Player tries to give some credit to his new quarterback and coach goes bilistic on a writer. Yep, total jackass.

[BubbaGene]

Funny to see gaytor fan get all defensive in regard to their douchebag coach. If it was Saban, the same curb lickers would be behind the reporter all the way. I will say that T-bone has a point...the crime stat comparison can be misleading. However, it doesn't excuse the fact that Gaytor players appear to love the limelight of the blotter.

[Buddy Lufkin]

Did the reporter lie? No.....
The reporter was accurate and did his job.

I still don't get why Urban was mad. The man is losing it.......

[Big T]

I will take the reporter. Urban Cryer has probably never been in a fight. One punch to the chest and he will fall like panties after the prom.

[bob cuomo]

Urban Meyer is a jerk. Poor Urban thought his boy Tebow was being critized. The reporter asked a simple question and the player answered it...he didn't say anything critical of Tebow. Nice going, Meyer...and then he has the stones to threaten the reporter? What a punk.

[Frank]

Are you a caveman purple people eater? i mean are you that stupid to not understand the situation. Urban was defending a player who was catching heat for making a comment that could be seen as negative towards tebow. Whatever you do in your life i hope its self-employment and dosnt envolve other people. Clearly most of you havnt done anything in life that requires teamwork and cohesion. Writers\reporters\news media etc will do whatever it takes to create a story regardless of who it may hurt or effect. Thompson claims caught a lot of crap for that comment and his coach was defending him, as a coach should do. Wouldnt you defend a friend? family member? student if you were a teacher etc. I can care less about florida and coach meyer but regardless you stick up for your players and have their back, unless your chip kelly and coach a bunch of convicts who love pissing away their careers for a frat boys laptop or attacking everyone you see because you lost your season opener