Earnest T. Bass
Sophomore
- Joined
- Dec 14, 2016
- Messages
- 2,073
Dan Mullen was schooled well by his foul mentor Urban Meyer. Feign concern about Gator criminal activity by telling the press you take these matters VERY seriously...wait a few weeks to allow the storm to blow over and then claim you've done a thorough investigation...and then discipline the players by not allowing them to have dessert after a Monday night meal. The Gator criminal enterprise is alive and well in Gainesville.
PRESS RELEASE~Six UF football players were involved in a May 28 confrontation on campus and must face the student conduct board. The group of players, including senior tight end C'yontai Lewis, top receiver Tyrie Cleveland and incoming freshman quarterback Emory Jones, were not charged following a UFPD investigation. "This has been an opportunity for us to educate our players about the dangers and negative perceptions that can occur when conflict arises, and how important honesty and good decision making is," UF football coach Dan Mullen said in a statement, adding that the university is handling player discipline. According to the UFPD report, the BB gun incident in late May stemmed from a confrontation outside Keys residential complex between several players and a local gambler, Devante' Zachery.
By; Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel
Who is more idiotic — a purported local gambler in Gainesville who lost money by betting on the pathetic Jim McElwain-coached Florida Gators last season or a group of six current UF players who now face disciplinary measures for confronting this gambler with Airsoft guns resembling assault rifles?
As a brand new season approaches with brand new coach Dan Mullen, the Florida Gators, sadly, are still the same old knuckleheads.
Last year, McElwain’s final season was sabotaged before it started when nine football players — including star receiver Antonio Callaway and starting running back Jordan Scarlett — were suspended for the season for credit card fraud. Now Mullen’s first season is in danger of being doomed by another group of players who face possible suspension — or dismissal.
If it wasn’t bad enough that one Mullen’s star recruits, cornerback Justin Watkins of Clermont’s East Ridge High School, was arrested earlier this week and faces three felony charges of physically assaulting his girlfriend, now comes the news that another band of Gators were involved in a confrontation with an alleged local gambler who goes by the nickname of “Tay Bang.”
Gamblers. Guns. Domestic violence.
First things first: If the police or university determines that the charges against Watkins are true, the Gators must dismiss him immediately. Mullen simply cannot begin his tenure at UF by allowing a violent domestic abuser to remain on the team.
This is Watkins’ second arrest involving his girlfriend in the last 10 weeks and much more serious than the first one. He has already been suspended indefinitely from all team activities following the latest felony charges that include false imprisonment/kidnapping and domestic battery by strangulation. There’s no way he can remain on the team if these charges are true.
One of Mullen’s other star recruits, quarterback Emory Jones, is one of the players involved in the incident involving the Airsoft guns and the confrontation with an alleged local gambler, Devante Zachery — better known as “Tay Bang.”
If you’re a college coach or administrator, your first thought has to be why your players are having a confrontation with a purported gambler who is upset about losing bets. I would be shocked if UF hasn’t already started an in-house investigation into whether players on last year’s team were gambling, supplying inside information to Zachery or, even worse, point-shaving.
The other major concern for UF is the troubling conduct of its players in such a public place — outside a UF residential complex. Reading from the police report certainly makes you wonder about the character of the players involved, including Jones, top wide receiver Tyrie Cleveland and senior tight end C’yontai Lewis.
Here is how Sentinel writer Edgar Thompson describes the incident:
Lewis and Zachery reportedly had been friends. Per the police report, a rift occurred when Zachery, 21, complained about losing bets he placed during the 2017 Gators’ 4-7 season that led to the ouster of coach Jim McElwain.
Zachery and his friends were outside the residence hall when confronted by the football players. Zachery’s group soon drove away in vehicles while yelling, “We coming back strapped,” according to the report.
One player told police upon its return, Zachery’s group wielded a baseball bat and pointed a red laser at the chest of one player. Another member of the group said, “Come any closer, I’ll spray you.”
Meanwhile, Zachery told UFPD one football player had an assault rifle, which actually was an Airsoft gun. UF receiver Kadarius Toney’s gun resembled an AR15 and was painted black to resemble a real rifle, the report stated. Defensive tackle Kyree Campbell also had an Airsoft gun.
Everyone involved scattered at the sound of police sirens. Players initially denied involvement when asked by police.
By the way, this incident happened back in May and is just becoming public now. Why is that?
Mullen released a statement Thursday saying, “This has been an opportunity for us to educate our players about the dangers and negative perceptions that can occur when conflict arises, and how important honesty and good decision making is.”
Blah, blah, blah.
This statement is not nearly strong enough. Hopefully, Mullen’s private message to his players is much more forceful than this sugar-coated public pablum. Mullen is the new coach and needs to set the disciplinary tone immediately.
Here’s what his statement should have said:
1. A player hitting a woman is not acceptable.
2. Players hanging out with a known gambler is not acceptable.
3. Players lying to police is not acceptable.
4. Players brandishing weapons, even if they are only Airsoft guns, is not acceptable.
Think about it: What if one the other combatants in this altercation thought these Airsoft guns were real assault rifles and pulled out a 9 mm Glock and started firing in self-defense? Imagine then the conversation we would be having today?
Nine Gators were involved in the incident and six players were recommended to UF’s Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution department.
Toney and Campbell were recommended for having guns, while Cleveland, Jones, receiver Rick Wells and tight end Kemore Gamble were recommended to the board for lying to UFPD officers.
When questioned last week by the Sentinel’s Thompson about discipline at SEC Media Days, Mullen replied: “We talk about that constantly. Stick out; look out for each other as a team. That's a huge thing. If you see somebody not living up to the Gator standard, you see somebody doing something they're not supposed to do, don't just stand there and let something bad happen, go out and help fix the situation.”
Good advice, Coach. Now live up to it! Fix this situation and fix it now because your new team is already an embarrassment to the University of Florida.
PRESS RELEASE~Six UF football players were involved in a May 28 confrontation on campus and must face the student conduct board. The group of players, including senior tight end C'yontai Lewis, top receiver Tyrie Cleveland and incoming freshman quarterback Emory Jones, were not charged following a UFPD investigation. "This has been an opportunity for us to educate our players about the dangers and negative perceptions that can occur when conflict arises, and how important honesty and good decision making is," UF football coach Dan Mullen said in a statement, adding that the university is handling player discipline. According to the UFPD report, the BB gun incident in late May stemmed from a confrontation outside Keys residential complex between several players and a local gambler, Devante' Zachery.
By; Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel
Who is more idiotic — a purported local gambler in Gainesville who lost money by betting on the pathetic Jim McElwain-coached Florida Gators last season or a group of six current UF players who now face disciplinary measures for confronting this gambler with Airsoft guns resembling assault rifles?
As a brand new season approaches with brand new coach Dan Mullen, the Florida Gators, sadly, are still the same old knuckleheads.
Last year, McElwain’s final season was sabotaged before it started when nine football players — including star receiver Antonio Callaway and starting running back Jordan Scarlett — were suspended for the season for credit card fraud. Now Mullen’s first season is in danger of being doomed by another group of players who face possible suspension — or dismissal.
If it wasn’t bad enough that one Mullen’s star recruits, cornerback Justin Watkins of Clermont’s East Ridge High School, was arrested earlier this week and faces three felony charges of physically assaulting his girlfriend, now comes the news that another band of Gators were involved in a confrontation with an alleged local gambler who goes by the nickname of “Tay Bang.”
Gamblers. Guns. Domestic violence.
First things first: If the police or university determines that the charges against Watkins are true, the Gators must dismiss him immediately. Mullen simply cannot begin his tenure at UF by allowing a violent domestic abuser to remain on the team.
This is Watkins’ second arrest involving his girlfriend in the last 10 weeks and much more serious than the first one. He has already been suspended indefinitely from all team activities following the latest felony charges that include false imprisonment/kidnapping and domestic battery by strangulation. There’s no way he can remain on the team if these charges are true.
One of Mullen’s other star recruits, quarterback Emory Jones, is one of the players involved in the incident involving the Airsoft guns and the confrontation with an alleged local gambler, Devante Zachery — better known as “Tay Bang.”
If you’re a college coach or administrator, your first thought has to be why your players are having a confrontation with a purported gambler who is upset about losing bets. I would be shocked if UF hasn’t already started an in-house investigation into whether players on last year’s team were gambling, supplying inside information to Zachery or, even worse, point-shaving.
The other major concern for UF is the troubling conduct of its players in such a public place — outside a UF residential complex. Reading from the police report certainly makes you wonder about the character of the players involved, including Jones, top wide receiver Tyrie Cleveland and senior tight end C’yontai Lewis.
Here is how Sentinel writer Edgar Thompson describes the incident:
Lewis and Zachery reportedly had been friends. Per the police report, a rift occurred when Zachery, 21, complained about losing bets he placed during the 2017 Gators’ 4-7 season that led to the ouster of coach Jim McElwain.
Zachery and his friends were outside the residence hall when confronted by the football players. Zachery’s group soon drove away in vehicles while yelling, “We coming back strapped,” according to the report.
One player told police upon its return, Zachery’s group wielded a baseball bat and pointed a red laser at the chest of one player. Another member of the group said, “Come any closer, I’ll spray you.”
Meanwhile, Zachery told UFPD one football player had an assault rifle, which actually was an Airsoft gun. UF receiver Kadarius Toney’s gun resembled an AR15 and was painted black to resemble a real rifle, the report stated. Defensive tackle Kyree Campbell also had an Airsoft gun.
Everyone involved scattered at the sound of police sirens. Players initially denied involvement when asked by police.
By the way, this incident happened back in May and is just becoming public now. Why is that?
Mullen released a statement Thursday saying, “This has been an opportunity for us to educate our players about the dangers and negative perceptions that can occur when conflict arises, and how important honesty and good decision making is.”
Blah, blah, blah.
This statement is not nearly strong enough. Hopefully, Mullen’s private message to his players is much more forceful than this sugar-coated public pablum. Mullen is the new coach and needs to set the disciplinary tone immediately.
Here’s what his statement should have said:
1. A player hitting a woman is not acceptable.
2. Players hanging out with a known gambler is not acceptable.
3. Players lying to police is not acceptable.
4. Players brandishing weapons, even if they are only Airsoft guns, is not acceptable.
Think about it: What if one the other combatants in this altercation thought these Airsoft guns were real assault rifles and pulled out a 9 mm Glock and started firing in self-defense? Imagine then the conversation we would be having today?
Nine Gators were involved in the incident and six players were recommended to UF’s Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution department.
Toney and Campbell were recommended for having guns, while Cleveland, Jones, receiver Rick Wells and tight end Kemore Gamble were recommended to the board for lying to UFPD officers.
When questioned last week by the Sentinel’s Thompson about discipline at SEC Media Days, Mullen replied: “We talk about that constantly. Stick out; look out for each other as a team. That's a huge thing. If you see somebody not living up to the Gator standard, you see somebody doing something they're not supposed to do, don't just stand there and let something bad happen, go out and help fix the situation.”
Good advice, Coach. Now live up to it! Fix this situation and fix it now because your new team is already an embarrassment to the University of Florida.
