Brandon Spikes - a Pillar of the Florida Community

So, with the attention "weighing heavily" on his mind, Florida star linebacker Brandon Spikes requested, and was granted, a full game suspension for his recent eye gouging of a Georgia running back during the Gators 41-17 trouncing of the Bulldogs last Saturday. Congrats, Brandon. Props for doing what your coach and your conference failed to do - hold a student athlete responsible for his deplorable actions.

Coach Urban Meyer suspended Spikes for the first half of the Gators laugher this Saturday against Vanderbilt. The SEC, in all their wisdom, agreed that Meyer's light punishment fit the crime. For those who haven't seen it, the eye gouge can be seen here.

Now, many pundits have argued that the only reason this behavior has come to light is because of the numerous cameras that CBS uses in broadcasting its weekly SEC game of the week. Most regional coverage wouldn't have had 7 different cameras on a single play - the networks simply can't afford to distribute that much equipment. However, because of the huge deal recently re-upped by the SEC and CBS, the folks at CBS treat each big SEC game as if it were an NFL broadcast, deploying many times the normal number of broadcast equipment vs. say a regional ABC or ESPN game. As such, the Gators LB got caught. And, they contend, this kind of stuff happens all the time, and the punishment was only handed down because of the extra coverage - the theory being Spikes shouldn't be treated any different than any other player who behaves this way in the "pile".

Rubbish. You want the extra coverage and the benefits that come with it (revenue, coverage, recruiting) then you take the drawbacks. Florida and the SEC embarrassed themselves with the original punishment.

Furthermore, I doubt the request from Spikes came from him. There is little doubt in my mind that the Florida coaching staff recommended Spikes request the extra punishment in order to save face both for the player as well as the school.

I find it hard to believe that Spikes, who continues to show his true character through actions, would be the driving force behind this publicity stint. Remember, this is the same player who complained after the BCS Championship that the Oklahoma Sooners were dirty players, and spend the game mistreating his precious Gators.

Google Brandon Spikes and see what kind of person we're really talking about and then tell me this apology was his idea, and has any sense of genuiness to it.