Urban Meyer, Gators mutually sever financial ties

By Adam Silverstein
February 2, 2011

Announced as ESPN’s newest college football analyst on Monday, former Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer said at the time he would continue working with the University of Florida in a to be determined capacity. Just two days later, Meyer and Florida have mutually agreed to end their financial agreement..

Fueled by concerns over potential NCAA recruiting violations (and likely a perceived bias on his part), Meyer will no longer be paid by UF; it is unknown if he will be allowed to retain his office inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

“The University of Florida has been a big part of my personal and professional life for the past six years and while I will no longer be able to continue a professional relationship with the University, I will continue to support the many friends I made during my time there,” Meyer said in a statement released by the university.

Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley also shared his thoughts on the decision.

“We are happy for Coach Meyer that he is getting a chance to stay involved with college football – he has so much passion for the game and the players. He will provide great insight and background for ESPN’s audiences,” he said. “We were pleased to provide Coach Meyer with an opportunity within our athletic department, but the chance to work for ESPN was a perfect fit for him and his family. He will always be welcome here and we are forever indebted for what he accomplished and how he represented the University of Florida. He gave every ounce of energy to this program for six years and we certainly share a special bond with him. We will always remain close friends and I look forward to seeing him enjoy the next chapter in his life. Coach Meyer will always be a Gator.”

Meyer’s agent and former Gators star Trace Armstrong went more in-depth with the Orlando Sentinel on the mutual decision.

“Jeremy did it as a favor; he wanted Urban to understand that he was still a part of the program,” Armstrong told Mike Bianchi. “Nobody anticipated this would a problem with the NCAA. Usually, when a former coach is on ESPN, he has been fired and has broken ties with the school. This was a unique situation. In the end, we just thought this was the best resolution and the cleanest way to do it. This way, it removes any questions.”

8 Comments

  1. npgator says:

    Trace Armstrong – Now he was a player!

  2. SC Gator says:

    Probably a smart move. People can still call “bias” all they want to but they’ll be firing a gun loaded with blanks.

  3. ncgator says:

    Jerrnigan and Anthony gone. Thought we might get one. If Grant signs with OSU, closing strong will be difficult.

  4. MJ says:

    Saves Foley some extra bucks – lol!

  5. ncgator says:

    Adam; what is the explanation for the wide discrepency between ESPN’s top ten classes and those of Sport & Rivals?

  6. Rip Van Winkle says:

    First ESPN gig to keep his name in the news cycle, then no more financial ties to the university, next it will be no office in the football complex. In 3-4 years, Meyer will be back on a college sideline. You can see this coming from a mile away.

Join The
Discussion

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Top
WordPress Appliance - Powered by TurnKey Linux