Former CB Avery Atkins must get back into UF and clean up his life before he could even think about rejoining the team, Urban Meyer said Wednesday.
> Meyer: “Avery Atkins is trying to get back to school. I won’t say [he could never be part of the team], but he’s got so much to do and he’s not on scholarship. He’s trying to get his life in order and we’re going to help him do that.”
Former CB Avery Atkins, who left school after a domestic incident over the summer, is trying to rejoin the Gators, according to the Gainesville Sun. Atkins tried to play at Bethune-Cookman this season, but left the team before the season.
Former CB Avery Atkins’ transfer to Bethune-Cookman is official, and he’ll play in Daytona this season, according to B-CC head coach Alvin Wyatt, the coolest man in the history of college football.
“WATB Across America” certainly warmed the nation’s heart during our two-week vacation. While we were away, Urban Meyer addressed the Gators’ QB situation in great detail, did some soul-searching with a former coach who looks like Professor Farnsworth, and our recruiting staff went on a peace-keeping mission to Haiti. Here’s a comprehensive look at the last two weeks:
Meyer gave QB Chris Leak a back-handed compliment: “The only just criticism of Chris right now in my opinion is he hasn’t won a championship. … The reason Rex Grossman, Shane Matthews and Danny Wuerffel were great quarterbacks is because they’ve got a ring that says they’re the best, not because they threw for a number of yards.”
After Leak said his goal in 2006 was to throw for 50 TDs, which would make him the Gators’ all-time career leader, Meyer scoffed at the QB’s lofty ambitions: “That’s nonsense. It’s called Florida nonsense, and it’s not just Florida. It’s happening in college football. … Forget the records, records happen, that’s fine — if that’s controlling his thoughts then he’s not going to play quarterback at Florida. I told him that and he knows that. Our objective is very simple, you win, and that may mean handing off to the tailback.”
Meyer addressed a familiar refrain from 2005, that Leak was poorly suited for the spread option: “I don’t agree with the square peg in a round hole. It’s our job to make it a square peg in a square hole or a round peg in a round hole, and we’re doing that. Chris is not a great runner. Can he be a functional runner? Absolutely. He had some great games running the ball a year ago. Every quarterback at some point, in my opinion, has got to make plays with his legs sometimes. Chris certainly has the ability. He just has to be a little bit more productive at it.”
Meyer also shared a bit of insight on the relationship between Leak and QB Tim Tebow: “We’ve made that very clear to (Leak) over and over again that his responsibility is to develop the backup quarterback.”
Tebow’s Orange & Blue Game performance planted the seeds of a potential controversy, which Meyer shot down: “I wish I could have that spring game back and pull him out in the third quarter, have a walk-in in there. … Tim has accepted the role that he’s going to learn to play quarterback from Chris Leak. More importantly, Chris Leak has accepted the role that he’s going to teach Tim how to play quarterback.”
After second-year success at Bowling Green and Utah, Meyer knows the expectations he’ll face during Year 2 in Gainesville: “Second year, a lot of people make a big deal about that. I think it’s kind of nonsense when they say second-year coach, second-year this, second year (that). It’s all personnel driven. We’ve had some success in the past second years because we had returning players. This year is no exception — we have some players coming back.”
Hoping to fix the Gators’ road woes last season, Meyer brainstormed with Lou Holtz, Bill Belichick and James Bates.
You’ve probably seen the Nike commercial featuring Meyer as the coach of a dream high school squad made up of current NFL stars. Meyer discussed the ad’s filming: “It took a day-and-a-half for me to be on for about a second-and-a-half. They called me and I figured it would be good for the school. There’s actually a second one and my daughter Nicki may be in it, too. They filmed her as Deion Sanders’ daughter.” Wait, what?
DT Steven Harris still is in exile from the team, dealing with an undisclosed “issue.” Meyer kinda sorta explains: “I wish I could say he is back and full speed. I can’t say that. At times, it’s there. I can say he’s a class away from graduating from the University of Florida. But there are a lot of issues still remaining. There is still a chance he’ll play for the University of Florida.”
Junior Reggie Nelson will move to corner, likely replacing the dismissed Avery Atkins as the starter. Nelson showed up for Summer B almost 20 pounds lighter than his safety weight.
Atkins was finally charged with battery in Volusia County, after allegedly roughing up his then-girlfriend in June. Atkins was rumored to be headed to Bethune-Cookman, but B-CC head coach Alvin Wyatt, the coolest man in the history of college football, said Atkins was not enrolled at the school.
Leak, DT Marcus Thomas and LB Brandon Siler were all named first-team All-SEC by the conference media. The Gators were picked to win the SEC East.
The program showed itself to be the anti-Virginia, with all 26 recruits qualifying and reporting to campus for Summer B.
CB Wondy Pierre-Louis almost didn’t make it to Gainesville, after the native Haitian ran into some immigration troubles. Meyer explained the coaching staff’s efforts in successfully clearing up the freshman’s visa: “Wondy was in this country and he shouldn’t have been, and we didn’t know that. He had to go back to Haiti to get his student visa and come back. The success ratio of doing that, I’ve heard, was about one, two to three percent of guys coming back. … Actually, (Chuck Heater) went over there with him, so he’s back and he’s doing good.” Text messaging, Friday Night Lights, international diplomacy… our recruiting staff can do it all.
You can catch freshman WR Jarred Fayson on ESPNU’s “Summer House” reality show this summer.
The Gators’ opener against Southern Miss might be moved to 12:30 p.m., which would allow Lincoln Financial Sports (formerly JP Sports) to air the game. Holy crap, that would suck. Gainesville at a September high noon is far too dangerous for players and tailgaters to stay safe.
If you’re an underage football player, it might not be a good idea to adorn your Facebook profile with pictures of yourself performing a kegstand.
The Gators might go all Lawnmower Man in the near future. Meyer said the program would look into developing virtual reality technology for training purposes.
Finally, CBS Sportsline columnist Mike Freeman does not like our school. Freeman penned a ridiculous, almost libelous column in which he basically made up an accusation that Gator fans are racist, because he perceives Leak to be the subject of unfair criticism. To wit: “Leak is treated with disdain instead of a deserved delight, cursed and not coddled, taunted by some — not all, but enough — testy Gator-head fans who pummel and pulverize Leak anonymously on websites, gutless and invisible, spewing ugliness as if they were paid by the slur. … (Leak) has an opportunity to break several significant school records by Danny Wuerffel, who is white, and there are Gators fans who hate the idea of a black thrower shattering the marks of a white Wuerffel.”
Freeman basically failed to substantiate any of his claims, relying only on apparently out-of-context quotes from Leak’s father. Curtis Leak would later set the record straight: “I’ve never heard (that Gator fans don’t support Leak because he’s black). And Chris has never told me he’s heard anything like that.”
You might remember Freeman from a Florida Times-Union column slamming Meyer for not telling Freeman that WR Jemalle Cornelius was too hurt to play in a 2005 game. (The paper would later apologize for the column.) You might also remember that Freeman resigned from the Indianapolis Star after it was discovered he lied on his resume, falsely claiming he was a college graduate.
Every time Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike “Sinbad” Bianchi makes a good point, he follows it with a column straight from the Skip Bayless School of Journalism. Bianchi pats himself on the back for Urban Meyer’s dismissal of Avery Atkins:
I’m so glad that Florida Coach Urban Meyer took the media’s advice and finally granted cornerback Avery Atkins his release last week. Hey, it’s kind of fun when a coach actually listens.
Listened to the media? Why? Because he took the time to ascertain exactly what was going on with Atkins before making a decision? I don’t think the journo crowd really had much to do with his deliberations.
Anyhoo, Bianchi veers way into fantasyland the following sentence:
And as long as we ink-stained wretches have your ear, Urbanator, let me give you another little gem of sports writer wisdom regarding your quarterback situation: Just go ahead and bench Chris Leak and start Tim Tebow in the first game. As your boss, Jeremy Foley, likes to say, “What must be done eventually should be done immediately.”
I’m sure that coach will get right on that, Mike.
In a quiet end to a turbulent two weeks, CB Avery Atkins has been released from his scholarship.
> Urban Meyer: “After a complete evaluation, we have granted Avery Atkins his release from the University of Florida football program.”
Trouble followed Atkins throughout 2006. Dropped charges or not, he twice found himself on the wrong side of the law. Couple his propensity for becoming a suspect with his desire to play elsewhere, and it’s best for all parties involved that Atkins was shown the door.
Mike “Sinbad” Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel:
So can we now please bury this urban myth about how Florida football Coach Urban Meyer doesn’t tolerate disciplinary problems? Meyer, as we’ve been trying to tell you, is no better or worse than any other college coach when it comes to key players getting into trouble.The latest example involves troubled UF cornerback Avery Atkins, who has been in and out of the doghouse and most recently was involved in an incident in which the mother of his child accused him of punching her repeatedly and holding her against her will. Atkins claims he was only trying to defend himself when the woman attacked him.
Believe what you want, but here’s the part that always makes me roll my eyes at coaches: Meyer announced that Atkins has been — are you ready for this? — “suspended indefinitely.” That’s downright (previous coach)-esque. In football coaching lingo, suspended indefinitely translates into, “Suspended until we need him.”
And when Atkins asked for his release so he could transfer from UF, Meyer refused because, as he told the Sentinel, “We feel like it’s in his best interest to try to fight through this and not be scared of the issues.” That’s coachspeak for: “He’s our best cornerback.”
Then again, maybe Meyer is just cutting the kid some slack because no assault weapons were involved.
CB Avery Atkins’ recent troubles weren’t the first setbacks he’s faced since arriving in Gainesville. Atkins’ 2005 season was marred by the death of a cousin, and the theft of thousands of dollars in stereo equipment from his car.
> Atkins on the break-in, Sept. 2005: “It screwed me up a lot. And then I had a death in the family.”
> Atkins: “The big thing was my teammates stuck with me. They told me just to stay strong.”
It’s been reported in Insider circles that LB Brandon Siler was initially an outspoken critic of Atkins when the latter considered transferring. Now the star junior is apparently pushing hard for Atkins to return to the team. Perhaps Siler is interested in Atkins’ status not just because he’s a team leader, but because Siler and Atkins are cousins.
> Atkins, Aug. 2005: “It motivates me having (family) on the team because we all share common goals of wanting to win on this team and one day make it to the NFL. Off the field, I talk to them a lot but we are all on the same page because of our closeness.”
CB Avery Atkins asked for a release from his scholarship, but was denied. In two separate newspaper reports Thursday, Atkins’ reaction to the denial was varied.
> Atkins in the Orlando Sentinel: “I asked, but they wouldn’t give it. I feel like a person should be able to make his own decisions. They’re trying to tell me what to do. … What choice do I have? They won’t let me go, and I don’t want to ruin my life. So I told (Meyer) I wanted to play.”
> But, Atkins in the Daytona Beach News-Journal: “I was thinking about transferring. … But now I just hope this stuff will blow over and get back to normal.”
Why the contradiction? Perhaps Atkins himself can explain.
> Atkins: “I’ve never had a situation like this in my life. As of right now, I’m real stressed. I can’t really think straight.”
Urban Meyer met Monday with Atkins and his family.
> Meyer: “I’ve talked to him, talked to his family. We feel like it’s in his best interest to try to fight through this and not be scared of the issues.”
CB Avery Atkins’ ex-girlfriend, Benarah Sanford, spoke Wednesday about the alleged incident between herself and Atkins.
> Sanford: “I’m really disappointed; it seems as though I’m not getting a fair chance at justice because he’s a football player at UF. I did not intend for the media to get ahold of what happened. However, I did have the intention of getting the law on him because I felt he needed to be punished. I didn’t intend for it to get on TV, but I did intend to press charges.”
> Sanford: “Avery’s the big football player, but I kind of feel like the damsel in distress.”
CB Avery Atkins was suspended from the team indefinitely Monday.
> Statement from Urban Meyer: “Avery has some issues to deal with before he can practice in any of our team activities.”
Meanwhile, the St. Petersburg Times reports that a Gainesville apartment complex filed an eviction notice against Atkins on Monday. Atkins is alleged to owe $1,214 in unpaid rent to Hidden Lake Apartments. The eviction notice is in no way related to Atkins’ legal troubles in Daytona Beach.
Before we mark down the Gators’ Fulmer Cup points for CB Avery Atkins’ legal troubles, let’s take a look at some of the details of the alleged incident, courtesy the Tampa Tribune.
> The alleged victim, Benerah Sanford, told police: She and Atkins argued Saturday on a drive to Atkins’ grandmother’s house. Atkins leaned over and punched her at least 13 times, and pushed her face against the car’s window while he conversed with relatives. Every time Sanford tried to exit the car, Atkins either punched her or stepped on the gas. When the pair finally arrived at Atkins’ home, she ran off and called the police.
> Atkins told police: Sanford was angry over a text message Atkins allegedly sent to another woman. Atkins offered to drive Sanford home, but she refused. He drove home, and left Sanford in the car.
> An eyewitness, Essie Austin, told police: She tried to speak to Sanford in the relative’s driveway, but Sanford was “acting real crazy.”
> Another eyewitness, Norma Lee, told police: Sanford struck Atkins, screaming, “I hate you. I hate you, you know that text message was in your phone.”
Charges have yet to be filed.
> Daytona Beach police spokesman Al Tolley: “It might appear to be mutual combat. Witnesses are on both sides of the fence.”
After a weekend incident, the mother of CB Avery Atkins’ child accused him of false imprisonment and misdemeanor battery, the Orlando Sentinel reports. Atkins gave a sworn statement to police, in which he claimed he was defending himself against the woman. Atkins was neither arrested nor charged with a crime.
> Daytona Beach police spokesman Al Tolley: “This is not a clear cut domestic violence case. There’s been a recommendation that this is a continued investigation and (the police) sit down with both people again.”
Atkins has not been charged with a crime. Yet. If charges are eventually filed, however, one has to wonder if/when/how Urban Meyer will handle Atkins’ status with the team.
Atkins missed a good bit of time during spring practice to deal with a “personal issue.” Perhaps coincidentally, in April, a sworn complaint was filed against Atkins in Daytona Beach, stemming from some sort of altercation the previous month. The aggravated battery complaint was later dropped.
CB Avery Atkins is a heavy-hitter that’s ready to start in a revamped secondary.
> Atkins: “Coming into spring a lot of people said the cornerback position was going to be the toughest spot to fill. But we’re one of the hardest working groups. Cornerback is far from the weakest position on the team.”
> Atkins: “Not that I’m getting a big head or anything, but coach always told me when you work hard you’re going to be a great player. I work my butt off. I work hard in the weight room, hard in the classroom, and hard out on the field. I’m working hard everywhere.”
> CB Reggie Lewis on Atkins’ nickname, The Execution: “It fits his description. He likes to execute things the right way. He’s got a thing about himself, I don’t know what he is. He just has something about him. I’m trying to figure it out.”
> Urban Meyer: “He’s having a really good spring. He’s aggressive and he’s a contact player. A lot of times corners, they’re like receivers — they’re not the contact player he is. He can be a special player.”
> Atkins: “The coaches know I love to hit, I’ve been that way since I started playing football. I can go in and lay a hit on you, and I can go out and cover you.”
Urban Meyer, WR Chad Jackson, RB Deshawn Wynn, DE Jarvis Moss, S Tony Joiner, CB Avery Atkins, CB Dee Webb, OT Randy Hand and DT Steve Harris visited patients at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital on Tuesday.
After two bad games, the secondary came up big Saturday.
> Urban Meyer: “To have Dee Webb stand up and say that the reason he played so hard tonight was simply for Vernell Brown, that was a special moment in the locker room. For a guy like Dee Webb to come in and dedicate a great game to a guy like that, that’s what it’s all about… having each other’s back in one big family.”
> DE Jarvis Moss: “Our secondary has to get our back if we can’t get to the quarterback, but it’s a team thing. We back them up and they back us up.”
> CB Avery Atkins: “The whole time when the ball was in the air, all I could think of was Vernell Brown. I look up to him as a big brother, and I know he wanted to go out with a big bang.”