Collegiate Sports Result in Shameful Acts of Violence
What started with a blatant late hit ended with an eye-gouge……..
That is the disgusting nature of college football these days. Sportsmanship has gone out the window in favor of brutal acts that do nothing for the sport itself. However, the violent acts are not even the worst part of the sad story that is college athletics. The worst part is the lack of response by the NCAA and the coaches that are responsible for setting an example for these misguided college kids.
How on earth can people make an excuse for a player trying to eye-gouge another? Let alone that this is happening to a college kid? How can
someone possibly defend that? Without coming out and actually defending the actions of Brandon Spikes, Urban Meyer’s actions spoke louder than any words ever would be capable of.
The legendary coach, who has won 2 national championships in the past 3 years, did indeed suspend Spikes. For 1 game! 1 whole game against Vanderbilt University, the doormat of the SEC. The best part was that he originally suspended Spikes for only the first half of the game, but not until he faced tremendous criticism for his lack of response did he extend the suspension.
Meyer Changes Length of Suspension
I wonder if he actually believes that the fact that he extended the suspension makes him look better as a human being. I’m amazed that the NCAA has not stepped in, but I guess they don’t want to interfere with Florida’s national championship run. So instead, Georgia’s running back became the “sacrificial lamb.” The stunning thing is that the running back, Washaun Ealey, defended Spikes afterward, saying he should not be suspended.
Ealey apparently has taken one too many hits to the head.
“He really didn’t gouge my eyes,” Ealey said. “He really didn’t get a chance to get close to my eyes.”
So because he wasn’t successful means his attempt should go unnoticed? Interesting…
Then this piece of gold when he was asked if similar accidents happen:
“I’m pretty sure it goes on back and forth,” he said. “We probably do it and other teams do too. It’s all football. We’re just out there trying to have fun.”
So let me get this straight…he is defending the person that “attempted” to eye-gouge him because “everybody” does it, including his own team? Well that makes sense…!
Mr. Ealey just admitted that his team is full of thugs as well, whether or not that is what he intended to say. Sorry, but “it’s all football” does not fly. It is not football. That is extracurricular activity that has no place on the football field. Just because everybody does it does not mean it’s right. When I was a little kid, my parents taught me that “2 wrongs don’t make a right.” That seems to be the perfect phrase for this 
situation. Going right along with Ealey, Urban Meyer is going about defending Brandon Spikes by sending a video of the late hit to the NCAA, showing that it was not just his players committing thuggish acts.
Fine — it was a late hit and should have been a big penalty. But comparing that hit to an eye-gouge, successful or not, is ridiculous. Much more harm comes from an eye-gouge. Period.
Meyer tried to take the high road by suspending Spikes, but he ended up looking like a coach that only cares about one thing — winning. So that I don’t come off sounding completely irrational, I will point out once again that I put more blame for this situation on the shoulders of Urban Meyer, not Brandon Spikes. Brandon is old enough to know what he did was an embarrassment not only to himself, but to the sport as well. But when you have a coach that is setting the example that Urban is, these things do become just a part of the game, like Ealey said.
Brandon since has apologized:
“I accept responsibility for my actions and I accept the consequences of my actions,” Spikes said. “I would like to apologize to my team and the coaching staff and Washaun Ealey. Football is a very physical and emotional game, but there is no excuse for my actions.”
Good for him. It was the necessary thing to do. Part of me even wonders if he was the one to talk Urban Meyer into the full game suspension instead of the half game, understanding that he needed to face the consequences. Hopefully from this day forward Brandon will no longer resort to violence on the football field, and instead he will let his play do the talking. He is a very talented young man, with a bright future in the NFL, who hopefully has learned a valuable lesson that will stick with him for the rest of his life. It doesn’t matter what kind of emotion you face on the field, that scoreboard is the best method of payback you can give. I can promise you the end result of that Florida game hurt Ealey much more than his eye-gouge attempt did, or even could.
To end on another disturbing note…I’m going to show one more clip that just happened, which once again shows violence in collegiate sports from the New Mexico women’s soccer team. Bottomline, this isn’t just a football problem, this is a culture problem. Win at all costs…
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