Urban Liar?

"If not for the coaching position at Ohio State, I would not have coached this year" Urban Meyer said after accepting a job with the Ohio State Buckeyes less than a year after resigning from the University of Florida citing health concerns and a desire to spend more time with his family and children.  For the past few weeks, sports media has been rife with speculation that Meyer would come out of retirement to coach the Buckeyes, the best team in his home state of Ohio, and where he worked as a graduate assistant to start off his career.  The nail in the coffin that all but proved Meyer would be taking the new position was when he was supposed to broadcast the Ohio State vs Michigan game this past Saturday, and ESPN decided to pull him from the booth.  The move leaves Gator fans outraged that a man they looked to as a hero, who brought them two national championships in the past five years, could jump ship to a team that has become a recent rival to the Gators for no other reason than the fact that UF faced them in a basketball and football national championship just since 2006.  Angry fans seemed to think that he had used the excuse of health concerns and spending tome with his family as a chance to get out of Gainesville and be ready when the Ohio State job came calling.

No man who has been able to provide for his family should ever be criticized for leaving work to spend more time with his kids.  I don't think we are there as a society yet.  Although the thousands of Gator fans across the country may have been disappointed that Meyer left his coaching position in the prime of his career his initial desire to seek better health and spend time with his kids and family are all but the best reasons someone should leave a coaching position while they are still relatively young and healthy.  But staunchly denying that you would be coaching anywhere soon and then taking a job with a program that was clearly in turmoil at the time of his resignation (that had just lost their head coach) does raise an eyebrow.  I empathise with Gator fans (as much as I can't stand them) at first losing their leader and wishing him well, to eventually having him turn their backs on them and now becoming one of the most hated rivals of Gator Nation.  Soon enough, time will heal the wounds and Meyer will be recoginized for all he did for their program. In the mean time, I cannot wait for the next Ohio State versus Florida match up to cement this as a top new NCAA rivalry.