On field, an eye for an eye goes too far

Urban Meyer seems to be a pretty smart and savvy guy. One would have to be in order to have the continued success he’s experienced throughout his coaching career. At Bowling Green, Utah and now Florida, where he’s won two BCS national championships, Meyer knows what it takes to win.

And that’s likely why he’s only suspending star linebacker Brandon Spikes for one half Saturday in a home game against Vanderbilt.

Apparently that’s the going rate for the attempted stealing of another’s eyeball.

That’s what video, and a few photographs, show Spikes doing to Georgia running back Washaun Ealey, supposedly as retribution for Spikes having his helmet ripped off and an eye poked earlier in the game.

“I don’t condone that,” Meyer said at a press conference on Monday. “I understand what goes on on the football (field), but there’s no place for that.” About that, Meyer is absolutely right. In thinking that this is a just punishment, and using the “caught up in emotion” excuse, Meyer is completely wrong.

That’s just the way things are in college football. So long as a player doesn’t commit a NCAA violation or say something controversial about officiating, he can expect to get off pretty clean.

Look at other suspensions handed out this year. Oklahoma State receiver Dez Bryant saw his season end because he lied to the NCAA about the terms of his relationship with former NFL star Deion Sanders. Bryant says he lied because the manner in which the NCAA “interrogated” him, according to Bryant, made him feel like he did something wrong.

Turns out he didn’t do anything wrong, well, other than lying.

As far as on-field assaults, Spikes’ eye-gouging attempt is similar to the sucker punch thrown by Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount after the Ducks’ loss to Boise State. Both were nationally televised games and both were retaliation for previous events.

But that’s about it.

Spikes had his own eye poked well before he gouged at Ealey’s eye. Blount was reacting to the trash talking of Boise State’s Byron Hout that was happening right then.

Spikes attempted to negatively affect another’s vision. Blount tried to shut Hout up.

Blount’s punch happened right in front of television cameras after a raucous season-opening game. Spikes eye gouge took place at the bottom of the pile, and wasn’t noticeable until the replay was shown.

Maybe that’s why Meyer, Spikes, Florida and the SEC can get away with what amounts to only a 30-minute suspension. No one even noticed anything had happened until the following day, and Meyer didn’t address it until Monday.

Blount’s punch was replayed non-stop by the 24-hour news cycle, and Oregon coach Chip Kelly had to do something drastic the next day. And Kelly did, suspending Blount for the remainder of the year.

Kudos to Kelly for that. Of course, I’ll take that back if Blount actually does get reinstated, which is what he’s been trying to do for a few weeks.

Kelly might have wanted that following the loss to Boise State, or after the first few games of the season. But now that the Ducks, thanks to last week’s win over USC, are in position to win the Pac-10, maybe Oregon doesn’t need Blount.

Despite all his success, maybe Meyer should take a lesson from the first-year head coach. Caught up on the moment, or not, Spikes tried to injure an opponent. That’s worth more than a slap on the wrist.

Joe Marchilena can be reached at 594-6448 or jmarchilena@nashuatelegraph.com.