****Urban Meyer Taking Leave of Absence, NOT Resigning...****

[Sabanball]

Now being reported per ESPN and other sources...

http://www.alligator.org/sports/football/article_80850686-f317-11de-bb79-001cc4c03286.html

This changes everything.

[OKLA21FAN]

I bet his kids want to take back the quote :

'we are finally getting a dad back!':gary:

[Blues1]

Is This Whole Thing a PR Trick to get Florida pumped up to play Cinncy....??
I hope Cinncy Cleans up on Florida 56 to 13 ~~~~ :)
With or Without Meyer.....!!!

Gotta Keep R'

[Bosley]

I bet some recruit's parents started calling in and asking to talk to the AD.

[SoonerDood]

what a d-bag

[sooneredaco]

Once Tebow Christ lays his healing hands on him, he'll be back in no time flat

[soonervegas]

When this broke last night I told my wife that he may be overreacting and should consider taking a year leave (ala Coach K). It would have been disappoiting to see him at another college in 24 months. Better to take a year off and continue coaching the same school.

Looks like a better decision was made once the worry subsidied a little.

[boomerborn79]

It's got to hurt recruiting for one. The interim head coach until he feels like coming back is lose lose for steve adezio. I don't get how meyer is just going to step back, the first bad game he's gonna feel the stress to get back in, I mean your either in or your not. Atleast thats what type A personalities that I know feel like. It's got to be confusing for all the kids kinda like the florida state team gotta head coach but not really. I see this situation going south pretty fast. To bad for FU, ....NOT

[Soonerfan88]

I still think he is panicking at the thought of rebuilding that team. There is no way to even try a spin at "reloading" and he knows that it will be a stressful year. He just doesn't want to have to face the monster expectations he has created. That kind of stress can get to a lot of people.

[JLEW1818]

damn Tebow is something else

[Sabanball]

UF will try to spin this in a positive way, but there's no way getting around the fact that this is a PR and logistical nightmare for their program and Jeremy Foley.

[JLEW1818]

alright u Farks people... give me Tebow fixing Meyer

[olevetonahill]

**** Him , **** the gators


Im thinkin Now he really Dint want to Face next year so hes gonna do a Time out and Let some one else screw it up . Then come back as the HERO

****in loser

[soonerloyal]

If this is true - if this was either a PR stunt or a hasty revision due to public reaction, yep...he's a bag full of ******.

[Scott D]

actually to listen to things said about Meyer, I think he's suffering from burn out right now, which is leading to his stress related chest pains. It's pretty easy to say that at the pace he has been reportedly working at is likely going to kill him sooner rather than later.

[soonerloyal]

Don't get me wrong. I've been praying for him since the news broke. I have empathy for someone facing illness. However, it would be extremely tacky and low for him to release a statement saying he's resigning, then bow to pressure or change his mind as easily as changing shirts to say 'Aw, I'm not going for long'. Either the guy is resigning or he's taking a leave of absence. No reason at all to say one, then change midstream to the other. That would be d o u**ery.

[StoopTroup]

Sounds like Bear Bryant came to Urban in a dream and slapped some sense in him.

[AlbqSooner]

Sounds like Bear Bryant came to Urban in a dream and called him a quitter p***y

Fixed.

[Frozen Sooner]

Sounds like Bear Bryant came to Urban in a dream called him a quitter ***** then won a national championship.

Fixed x 2.

[Scott D]

Don't get me wrong. I've been praying for him since the news broke. I have empathy for someone facing illness. However, it would be extremely tacky and low for him to release a statement saying he's resigning, then bow to pressure or change his mind as easily as changing shirts to say 'Aw, I'm not going for long'. Either the guy is resigning or he's taking a leave of absence. No reason at all to say one, then change midstream to the other. That would be d o u**ery.

*Shrug* we'll likely find out shortly when ESPN is carrying his press conference for the Sugar Bowl. To me it sounds like he only talked to family and maybe one or two other people and made a knee jerk reaction (resigning), but he's since talked to other people who have made other suggestions based upon the rampant nature of yesterday's news.

The problem is at this point we don't know when he started the decision making process on what to do, and how much of it was an instant reaction, and how much of it was thought out completely.

[OUinFLA]

I'd bet the list of vocal, "I'd like that job, please" , applicant coaches, just got a whole lot shorter.

[Scott D]

I'd bet the list of vocal, "I'd like that job, please" , applicant coaches, just got a whole lot shorter.

that list should have gotten a lot shorter when the original word was that Meyer would have been involved in hiring the next coach, and been around the football program in some way with his unspecified position with the athletic department.

[StoopTroup]

0Ag8J2NMYmc

[Wishboned]

There must be something in the water in Gainesville. First Billy Donovan wants to go coach the Magic. Then he cries and takes it back.

Now this.

[Jacie]

Watching ESPN late last night got me to thinking about UM and why he is stepping down/leave of absence, whatever.

His coaching career has been nothing but one successful stint after another. Even this season, he only has the one loss but . . .

. . . for the first time, Urban has had to deal with controversy.

He was fined $30,000 by the SEC for criticizing officials not throwing a flag on a hit of Tim Tebow in the Georgia/Florida game.

There was the Brandon Spikes eye-gouging incident and the lax punishment Meyer meted out, eventually increased a little following public outcry.

Defensive end Carlos Dunlap was arrested for drunk driving.

Finally, there was the crushing loss to Alabama in the SEC Championship and the knowledge that 2010 will most likely be a rebuilding year for the Gators.



The speculation is that Urban Meyer is such a hard worker that his health is suffering as a result. Wait a minute! I think a few other coaches put in a lot of time on the job.

Maybe this is the first time Urban Meyer has had to deal with controversial issues beyond out-recruiting other schools, out-coaching other coaches during a game. Maybe Urban Meyer's headaches and other assorted health problems are due to his inability to deal with real stress, the kind that coaches like Bob Stoops, Mack Brown, et al have to deal with even when successful on the field. Maybe the "year of stuff", which happens to every other college football coach, was too much for Urban Meyer.

[Blues1]

Daily Chest Pain ~~ Could be Acid Reflux ~~ Hey Coach Meyer take a zantac every day and layoff the spicy food.....(Who Knows..?)

[sooneredaco]

Ok, I may get a bunch of people ticked off at me because of this, but oh well. Would Urban have made the same descision if this wasn't Tebow Christ's last year? If next year wasn't a rebuilding year would this be the same descision?

I understand that these coaches are under an overwhelming amount of stress, but that's what they signed up for. Are you telling me that these guys are facing more stress than the guy that was let go off his 25 year job last week?

Here is what real stress is. A baby on the way working full time with 2 kids at home and your husband is in the middle east fighting for your country. Does she get to lay down and take a leave of abscene? Does she get all this press and sympathy from the world? Simple answer, NO.

What about the guy let go at GM? Now he can't make his mortgage and has no health insurance. The list goes on and on.

I realize that there will always be the have and have nots, but situations like this just irk me. People (ESPN and other Media oulets) make way too much out of this. He is paid (really really well by the way) to coach a game, yes a game. Not only that, but the other guys that are at the top of thier profession never make this much of a media circus of thier situations. He and Tebow have always been Media Whores, and love the attention. Coaches like Bob never b!tch and moan about things like this, at least not in the public eye.

Anyways, that's my soapbox, I'm off of it!

FU$CK Florida!

BOOMER SOONER!

[soonerhubs]

Now we see where Timmy gets the attention whoring habits from. We should all be enjoying bowl season right now, but, instead, this ********* ****tard has made the front of all the sports web sites.

[Blues1]

Now we see where Timmy gets the attention whoring habits from. We should all be enjoying bowl season right now, but, instead, this ********* ****tard has made the front of all the sports web sites.

Amen.....
Next thing we know Meyer will change his mind again....After they lose the Sugar Bowl ~~~~ :)
GO Cincy....~~~~!

[RedstickSooner]

Don't get me wrong. I've been praying for him since the news broke. I have empathy for someone facing illness. However, it would be extremely tacky and low for him to release a statement saying he's resigning, then bow to pressure or change his mind as easily as changing shirts to say 'Aw, I'm not going for long'. Either the guy is resigning or he's taking a leave of absence. No reason at all to say one, then change midstream to the other. That would be d o u**ery.

When he quits for med reasons, he gets our sympathy / respect. When he waffles, he can go aggie himself.

[soonerloyal]

Yep. This quote from another Sooner board pretty much sums it up for me:

Meyer has learned well from St. Timmy the Attention Whore, and it's about enough to make me wanna puke.

Hmm. Methinks Meyer's another 40-ish man. That's just garbage. :D

[BoulderSooner79]

Everyone deals with stress differently. Part of it is being conditioned to deal with it, but there is a big genetic factor too. It's a weird sequence of events from the outside and it's hard to believe UM didn't give it serious thought before stepping aside. This recant feels like damage control to me. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if he steps aside again after signing day for the '10 class.

[VA Sooner]

Definitely hurts recruiting, hurts relations with the family... makes them look like fools.

[StoopTroup]

Bourbon is just experimenting with the Bill Snyder technique of owning a fan base for eternity.

[cdlbdd]

Interesting article from Forde about Urban's change of heart.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=4774715

[OKLA21FAN]

Dear College Football,

what's is all the fuss here?

signed
Gene Stevenson


http://webs.wichita.edu/depttools/DeptToolsMemberFiles/tdms/GeneAd.jpg

[MichiganSooner]

He changed his mind because Tim Tebow and some of Timmy's teammates cried when they heard the news he was quitting.

[soonerloyal]

Ok, I may get a bunch of people ticked off at me because of this, but oh well. Would Urban have made the same descision if this wasn't Tebow Christ's last year? If next year wasn't a rebuilding year would this be the same descision?

I understand that these coaches are under an overwhelming amount of stress, but that's what they signed up for. Are you telling me that these guys are facing more stress than the guy that was let go off his 25 year job last week?

Here is what real stress is. A baby on the way working full time with 2 kids at home and your husband is in the middle east fighting for your country. Does she get to lay down and take a leave of abscene? Does she get all this press and sympathy from the world? Simple answer, NO.

What about the guy let go at GM? Now he can't make his mortgage and has no health insurance. The list goes on and on.

I realize that there will always be the have and have nots, but situations like this just irk me. People (ESPN and other Media oulets) make way too much out of this. He is paid (really really well by the way) to coach a game, yes a game. Not only that, but the other guys that are at the top of thier profession never make this much of a media circus of thier situations. He and Tebow have always been Media Whores, and love the attention. Coaches like Bob never b!tch and moan about things like this, at least not in the public eye.

Anyways, that's my soapbox, I'm off of it!

FU$CK Florida!

BOOMER SOONER!

Amen! OR having two of three sons in combat. Or being the young men and women in combat. That'll put your heart and stress level into true overdrive as well. Thank you and God bless for a REAL perspective of stress.

Meyer is an a$$hole as far as I'm concerned. There's no spin he can try that'll make me believe any differently now. The Gator Football program just took a nosedive in the respectability department.

I hope Karma reaches out and touches the U of F for seasons to come. No injuries, mind you, I'd never wish that on fellow human beings. But losses, hits in recruiting, problems with respectability, I hope they get beaten upside the head and kicked in the junk. In spades.

What. An. A$$HOLE. :mad:

[Sooner-N-KS]

I'm amazed by all of this. He justified his initial decision by his daughter's response of "I get my daddy back." Then he turns around and changes his mind after a good practice, his family being the last to know of his newest decision.

His love for Tebow is greater than his love for his family.........yes, I know cryin' Timmy is a senior.

[delhalew]

As annoying as urban is, on the bright side, we get to watch this attention whore tear down Gator footaball.

[Lasagna]

I'm amazed by all of this. He justified his initial decision by his daughter's response of "I get my daddy back." Then he turns around and changes his mind after a good practice, his family being the last to know of his newest decision.

His love for Tebow is greater than his love for his family.........yes, I know cryin' Timmy is a senior.

Exactly, we got fed this feel good crap for a day about "priorities", and "I got my daddy back", now after a football practice that all goes down the toilet.
And what kind of health condition is this that is just going to go away if he takes a leave of absence? Why would you break this the week of the sugar bowl?
I have long thought the man has little or no perspective, just based on the way he handles losses, and after the last couple of days, I think we know just how little he has, and what his real priorities really are. Mainly, himself.

[fossil]

Meyer is putting the University of Florida in a really difficult situation for a couple reasons.

First, recruits who wanted to come to Florida to play for the great Urban Meyer are faced with a delimma. He is not the head coach, according to him, and he may not be during their stay at Florida. Afer all, an indefinite leave of absence can be forever, right? So, how many recruits will Florida lose because of this? Hard to say, but I bet some switch their committment to another school.

Second, Florida's hands are tied under the current circumstances from beginning a search for a big time replacement. As long as Urban is on an 'indefinite leave of absence', they can't replace him as head coach. What if he decides he's never coming back, what then? Good, solid head coaching candidates that may be available now may not be available when Urgan decides this is gonna last forever.

He really needs to resign as head coach and allow UF to move forward. If he really has health problems, those needs to be his priority. right now, he is basically holding UF hostage.

[stoops the eternal pimp]

Meyer is putting the University of Florida in a really difficult situation for a couple reasons.

First, recruits who wanted to come to Florida to play for the great Urban Meyer are faced with a delimma. He is not the head coach, according to him, and he may not be during their stay at Florida. Afer all, an indefinite leave of absence can be forever, right? So, how many recruits will Florida lose because of this? Hard to say, but I bet some switch their committment to another school.


Talked with a friend that scouts the SEC and he said this part of it was the main reason for the quick back step....According to him, There was about be a recruiting disaster go on...Recruits calling, texting...they were gonna lose several of them..

[TUSooner]

Urban Meyer is acting pretty much like an ordinary human being under a load of stress. Lots of posters have probably been in the situation where you can't go on because it's killing you, but you can't quit because other people are counting on you (and you love part of the thing that's killing you.) And sometimes it's just flippin hard to make up your mind. But I suppose we expect more from famous football coaches and that ilk. I'm no UFla or Meyer fan, as such, but I am old enough to respect those who lives their live in a fishbowl and at least try to do it honestly. That's why they get the big bucks.

[stoops the eternal pimp]

He was also concerned about what would happen to the program...Afraid of it falling into the wrong hands..

And I completely agree TU

[soonerloyal]

Perhaps then he should have kept his suck shut and not said anything until he'd used his well-paid brain to think it through. D o u c # e.

No empathy for his flipflop or the fallout consequences, whatsoever. None.

[soonerhubs]

Perhaps then he should have kept his suck shut and not said anything until he'd used his well-paid brain to think it through. D o u c # e.

No empathy for his flipflop or the fallout consequences, whatsoever. None.

This.