Does the Punishment Fit?
The eye gouging incident involving the Florida Gators’ Brandon Spikes and the Georgia Bulldogs’ running back Washaun Ealey was appalling and brutal. The suspension Spikes received was worse.
Brandon Spikes will be suspended for the first half against Vanderbilt this weekend, according to Urban Meyer during his weekly press conference. This is a suspension that has been approved by the SEC.
The suspension Spikes has received is a joke. A half game suspension is nothing. The length of this suspension sends the message to college players, and its fans, that eye gouging is accepted as part of the game. This is unacceptable.
Ealey could have been badly injured by Spikes’poor actions. In no way does Spikes punishment fit the crime. Spikes should be suspended for the remainder of the regular season. There is no place in the game for these types of things and the message should be sent loud and clear.
Urban Meyer should take responsibility for his players and show them that they must also take responsibility for themselves.
Mike Golic of ESPN’s “Mike and Mike in the Morning” referenced the Lagarrette Blount “punch” in comparison to this incident, stating he would take the “punch” over the gouging any day.
I am inclined to agree.
To view a video of the incident click here: Brandon Spikes\’ Eye Gouging
I loved spikes. Don’t get me wrong, he is still a sick football player but i have definitely lost some respect for him
I’ve lost a ton of respect for him. I keep hearing people say that stuff like that goes down all the time at the bottom of piles, please. Not in this era, not with all the cameras we have. 1/2 game suspension? This isn’t even a slap in the wrist, its a light tap. Somewhere, Dez Bryant is saying, “this is bullshit”
I agree guys. Its crazy. Not only have I lost respect for Spikes, but also for Urban Meyer. A half game suspension is horrible. It definitely does nothing to discourage this kind of behavior. Spikes could have badly hurt Ealey, and the suspension he recieved shows Meyer doesn’t even care. I’ve lost lots of respect for both of them.
Now that Spikes and Meyer have mutually decided to sit Spikes for the whole game on Saturday, I have regained some respect for both. Spikes and Meyer both recognized the significant national burn that the situation was creating. Yesterday, Spikes approached Meyer in order to remove himself from being a distraction to the team. My outrage at the initial suspension has dulled in light of the fact that Spikes seems to put the team first.