Urban vacation
I suppose it would be amusing to note how Urban Meyer has gone from retirement to, based on comments from Florida commit Mack Brown, a vacation until August. And hypothesize about some miracle cure has been found for the medical condition that caused him to be rushed to ER after the SEC championship. Or wonder if the Meyer family will have had their fill of Urban once 2-a-days begin. But honestly, it's a sad situation - the equivalent of an addict on the cusp of giving up a habit that was slowly killing them and failing. And all those who benefit from the habit enabling the continued addiction.
January 1st, 2010 at 10:22 PM ^
I hope Meyer was sincere about all this stuff. I hope so and I hope if he is sick that he gets better and treats himself appropriately so he can see his grandkids instead of dying on a sideline somewhere in freaking Alabama.
or maybe he was lying...
or maybe 24 millions is motivating...
or maybe TV job didn't instantly materialize...
or maybe...
January 1st, 2010 at 10:28 PM ^
That's an interesting way to phrase it. It's also quite possible he had a knee-jerk reaction and made a rash decision to retire in the first place.
It's also very possible he was going to step down after the bowl game and someone in the press got wind of it and he had to go public to beat the wag to the punch.
I still say there is enough wiggle room for him to step down anyway--the health thing still lingers (I believe him). The quick change of mind could have been orchestrated to keep the press at bay and keep Florida players focused.
January 1st, 2010 at 10:33 PM ^
and recruits committed!
January 1st, 2010 at 10:46 PM ^
I would take it all at face value. I'm guessing that Meyer made an emotional decision to quit and another emotional decision to try and stay. I'll also take it at face value that he didn't want to get better and not be able to go back to Florida.
At any rate, it should all come out in the wash by this season. I'm guessing that he comes back in August, and then one of two things happen. Either he figures out a way to coach without killing himself, or he has another scare and quits for good.
As someone who could have died twice (once from a car accident and once from ignoring the flu until I sustained internal bleeding), I can say that a heightened perception of one's own mortality changes one's POV. Sometimes the changes are subtle; sometimes they are drastic.
Nobody can really know what another person is thinking in such situations. Having been in a similar situation, I tend to be a little more tolerant of people in that position than many do; I truly believe that he genuinely doesn't know what he is going to do right now.
At any rate, I refuse to judge Meyer, and hope that whatever he does is the best choice for him and his family. Meyer has already made the equivalent of a Powerball jackpot; I would like to see him live long enough to enjoy it.
January 1st, 2010 at 11:31 PM ^
I like the idea of taking everything at face value and I agree that both decisions were probably based on emotion and possibly his chances at long term survival.
I expect that a great deal will be made of Meyer's "step back" from the intense day-to-day lifestyle of a coach next year. He will probably try to come back more relaxed and somewhat less intense. We'll see if that plus the brain and talent drain has a significant effect on Florida and the greater SEC strength next year. Next year may be a relatively down year for the SEC with only one juggernaut ('Bama) and several teams in rebuilding mode. After today, LSU and Auburn sure aren't going into next year with great momentum, Tennessee loses too much on defense, and I'm not confident at all in Georgia's comeback power.
We'll see.
January 2nd, 2010 at 12:07 AM ^
Thats a great point about how realizing your own mortality will change your point of view. I had a near-death experience, in a truck accident that should have killed me. Its honestly a miracle I survived and had no permanent damage. Things like that, or a health scare like Urban's really shake you up. I don't blame the guy for making an emotional decision like that. You don't really understand what its like to have something like that happen until it happens to you
January 1st, 2010 at 11:01 PM ^
after not being in the Championship Game.
January 1st, 2010 at 11:10 PM ^
Maybe he should take care of his health and take a break and be there for his family. I really don't want his daughters to lose a father (assuming the threat to his health is that serious). And yes, the man is a hell of a coach.
Despite all that, he's the biggest douchebag in college football and possibly all of sports. Lane Kiffin rivals his douchiness, but Meyer takes the title. I don't think that Kiffin takes himself as seriously.
January 1st, 2010 at 11:31 PM ^
To me the whole Urban Meyer situation seems a little weird. Anyone else agree?
January 1st, 2010 at 11:42 PM ^
I think that Meyer realized the mistake he made by coming public when he did. Maybe the press conference the next day was just damage control.
January 2nd, 2010 at 12:04 AM ^
that he acted more in the spur of the moment than actually weighing all his options.
January 2nd, 2010 at 3:06 AM ^
After talking to my Dad (pediatrician), we've come to the conclusion that he might have anxiety issues. It smells a little fishy if he has chest pains but doesn't have any heart issues. If this predetermined conclusion has any truth to it Urban is in the wrong profession. Must be nice having a seven month vacation...
January 2nd, 2010 at 10:54 AM ^
Yeah, this was my first thought when I originally heard the story. As a psychologist I see this stuff all the time...panic attacks will often lead an individual to the emergency room, where no heart/medical problems are found. Often this pattern repeats and goes hand in hand with some hypochondriacal fears ("maybe they're just not finding whatever is wrong with me"). Panic attacks and anxiety can be treated very effectively with therapy (preferably ,imhe) and/or meds.
In any case, I find it hard to believe that this is the case. Chances are that his panic/anxiety symptoms would have been at least somewhat evident at times, especially during public speaking, which he has to do a ton of.
I find it more likely that he has a Type A personality (workoholic with some arrogance and hostility). This has been shown to lead to heart problems. I don't know what has or has not been found medically, but my sense is that a) he's overworked and puts tons of pressure on himself, b) he probably doesn't know how to unwind and find a balance between life and work, and c) he's a douchebag. These things can definitely lead to high levels of stress that can manifest in physical pain and heart problems.
January 2nd, 2010 at 11:34 AM ^
the AD has in getting him to come back and change on his comments. Jeremy Foley is a pretty sharp guy and the difference between a coach saying he's "quitting" and a coach saying he's taking an "indefinite leave" can be spun totally different to recruits. I sympathize with Meyer bc I feel that he truly does have health problems but I think we're naive to think that there aren't other factors at work here.