Cohen: McElwain’s Remark Embarrassing, Infuriating
In one off-hand remark, Florida head coach Jim McElwain tarnished and smeared not only his football team, but an entire athletic program, university and heck, Gator Nation
https://florida.247sports.com/Article/Cohen-McElwains-Remark-Embarrassing-Infuriating-109450630
It was one more subdued Monday media opportunity from Florida head coach Jim McElwain, whose enthusiasm seems to have disappeared since his team got royally kicked by Michigan in the season opener, a deflating setback that broadsided his bravado and canned his cocky swath of confidence.
His team was getting ready for its match this Saturday with Georgia, a Last Chance Texaco to salvage a season that has spun off the rails since Labor Day weekend. It was another 20 minutes of not saying much, until he basically, in an off-handed manner, said everything. With about five minutes left before he was done, he dropped a bombshell, almost causally mentioning that there have been death threats made to either himself, his family or some players, in the midst of this 3-3 season.
Whoa, that’s some serious stuff, much more of a human concern than an inability to convert third-and-5. But then McElwain backed away, refused to elaborate for even an instant, just leaving it out there as if he said he may have a trick play or two up his sleeve for Saturday (which would really have been a hard to believe tale).
Evidently this death threat assertion had blindsided everyone, because he apparently refused to provide any information to his athletic administration bosses, who were forced to release a terse response in a vague statement. And he obviously never informed the authorities, even though a death threat of any substance certainly would warrant some police assistance, right? He seemed annoyed when prodded about this serious assertion and danced around the viral topic again today on the SEC coaches’ conference call.
The fallout has been swift and extreme, his reluctance to be any more forthcoming simply infuriating because in one toss-away moment, he had just thrown the football program, the entire athletic department, the university, heck all of Gator Nation, under the bus.
He had just made us all (yeah I include myself, a Gator grad) look really, really, really bad, like we’re part of some lunatic fringe that threatens athletes and coaches when the football team goes .500. Immediately, the calls, texts and e-mails started pouring in and who knew how to respond because – let’s call it like it is, to use one of McEwain’s pet expressions – we had no idea if there was any truth behind his allegation.
Either way, by strangely choosing to go public with a matter he seemingly didn’t want public, McElwain just tarnished the University of Florida brand worse than any Seminole or Bulldog could imagine. He made anyone remotely associated with this great institution vulnerable, causing a national stir that is severely damaging to Florida’s reputation.
Not to mention what he has done to the football program, giving fodder to the negative recruiting that all coaches readily acknowledge exists, but will never admit to doing themselves. And of course this comes on the heels of multiple national embarrassments since McElwain took over – a starting quarterback booted off the team for PED use, a star wide receiver who can’t keep himself out of trouble, nine players suspended amid allegations of credit card fraud – not to mention a forever mouthy group of players who can’t stop trash talking no matter how many times they get the words shoved down their throat.
The Gator Nation is seething right now and it has nothing to do with the pathetic offense that McElwain has overseen for 33 games or the eight times his team has lost by double digits. Nope it’s about his irresponsible off-hand remark that could yield severe across-the-board repercussions and may come back to bite him deeper than any shark could.
