Should Meyer Apologize To Auburn? To Tennessee?

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Mike Bianchi of The Orlando Sentinel believes Urban Meyer should apologize to Auburn’s coaching staff for suggesting that the NCAA should look into their “Tiger Prowl” limo tour.

Jeremy Fowler, also of The Sentinel, believes that Meyer simply responded to bad information from Pat Dooley of The Gainesville Sun… who suggested that Auburn was driving recruits around in limos.  Therefore, Mr. Fowler doesn’t believe an apology is necessary.

But it’s hard for me to believe — with all of the media coverage it’s gotten — that Meyer didn’t know the limo tour was simply a way for coaches to go from school to school.

Still, my problem wasn’t with his views on the legality of the tour, it was with his sanctimonius comments that worked as slaps at Auburn and Tennessee:

“The Florida coaching staff will not be riding around in limos or ripping off our shirts.”

As I’ve said before, slapping Auburn and Tennessee is fine and dandy, but folks who support Meyer on this one can’t cry and complain when an opposing coach whizzes in the Gators’ cereal.



As for an apology, if I told you that someone was a fetishist and you said publicly, “I’m not going to act like that fetishist,” eventually you would come out and apologize.  You might say that you were misinformed, but you most certainly would have to apologize.

So therefore, yes, I think Meyer should probably apologize to Gene Chizik when he sees him at the SEC Meetings in Destin later this month.

Afterall, it’s not much of a defense to say, “sorry I ripped you and your program, I didn’t know what I was talking about.”

I don’t think Florida fans were very forgiving of Lane Kiffin when he went that route (only to then backtrack and tell the press that his comments had been in fact “calculated.”)



As for apologizing to Tennessee’s coaches, nope.  Meyer doesn’t owe UT an apology for his line about ripping shirts.  Kiffin and crew asked for this fight.  Now they’re getting it. 

But folks need to remember that by throwing barbs at Tennessee and Kiffin, Meyer is putting himself on the same level with UT’s young coach.

And by the looks of our poll at right, that’s giving both of these guys a high “jerk” score at the moment.