An eye for an eye

Some of you may have heard about or seen the eye gouging attempt by Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes on Georgia running back Washaun Ealey. Some of you may have heard of the first half suspension Florida coach Urban Meyer issued to Spikes, which the SEC actually said was good enough.

Today the suspension was increased to a full game after Spikes approached coach Meyer with the request to be suspended the full game to not be a distraction to teammates.

Let me start by saying the suspension was weak, to put it mildly, and I'm really glad it gained the media attention it did.

Shame on you Urban Meyer.

What was that suspension saying? Look at Chip Kelly. He went a full season on LeGarette Blount and you go for the first half??? Like it or not the Blount suspension will be the measuring stick by which all other college football suspensions will be measured in the next year or so, and for Urban Meyer to go so weakly was awful. It really shows where his values lie.

In fact, the more I think about it, how much worse was the Blount punch than the Spikes gouge? I don't know that it was more than twice as bad. Blount has been suspended 7 games so far. A Spikes suspension should have been a minimum of 3 games.

They say it was "in the heat of the moment" but really, I think it was pretty deliberate and premeditated. How long does Spikes try to poke Ealey's eyes out? There's your proof for deliberate. Spikes was reportedly poked in an earlier play, not that one, so there is your proof for premeditated.

The main and most important difference is that the Boise State player was knocked the eff out and Ealey was basically unharmed, no matter how hard Spikes tried. For that, these incidents do not carry the same weight and punishment.

The only good thing to come of this is that Spikes stepped up and took more responsibility for his actions than his head coach was willing to. He acted in a manner more mature and more wisely than a man more than double his age. Good for you Brandon Spikes. You lost my respect and then gained it back (and then some) all in the span of a few days. I'm sure I'm not the only one in the country who feels this way.

And again, shame on you Urban Meyer.