Florida State University’s football program has come under scrutiny recently after a few of its players have gotten in trouble with the law, and one columnist has a message for head coach Jimbo Fisher: please don’t end up like Urban Meyer.
That columnist is Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel, who said the following in a recent piece that was referenced by College Spun.
Memo to Jimbo: Please don’t allow your legacy to disintegrate into that of former Florida coach Urban Meyer — a coach who won national championships on the field but lost a ton of respect by the way his players behaved off it.
A championship football team is supposed to enhance the reputation of the university; not detract from it.
It’s no secret that though Meyer did win two national championships while coaching the Gators, his players had a hard time staying out of trouble off the field. In a report by Greg Bishop of The New York Times from 2013, it seems that Gators players accounted for 31 arrests from 2005 to 2010. Granted, some were for small offenses like under-age drinking, having an open container or even disorderly conduct. But then there were also cases of stalking, assault, burglary and others.
The most notable player involved in said arrests was former Gators and New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez, who was investigated for battery during his time in Gainesville, though nothing came of it and Hernandez continued to play. Today, Hernandez is currently doing life without parole in a Massachusetts prison after being convicted of first-degree murder in the spring.
Now look at FSU’s football team, which is having a rough summer. Quarterback De’Andre Johnson was dismissed from the team earlier this month after video surfaced of him punching a woman in the face at a local Tallahassee bar, and he had already been charged with misdemeanor battery. Running back Dalvin Cook is currently on indefinite suspension due to being charged with the same crime. And let’s not forget that over the past two seasons, former quarterback Jameis Winston had uncertainty attached to his name due to an alleged sexual assault he committed, though he was not charged. No matter how you look at it, Fisher has to gain better control of his players.
Thus, though it may seem a bit early and unfair to compare Fisher to Meyer at this point, the fact that so few FSU players have attracted so much negative publicity over the past few years is a sign that things need to change. Hopefully, the 2015 season marks the start of that.
FSU opens 2015 at home against Texas State on September 5.
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*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports
