1. That story about gaining 40 pounds just wasn't true. Grier comes right out, early in the piece, and addresses the internet rumor that he had put on 40 pounds at Florida. He put on 22 pounds between true freshman and redshirt freshman physicals, but not 40, as it was reported and suggested as evidence for PED use.
2. The rumor mill, the attention and the reaction from fans had an emotional impact on Grier. The former Florida quarterback comes out early in the piece to put you in his head following the ban.
"I was in a dark place and depressed. I didn't think I was any good. I didn't know if I would ever play the game again. I lost a lot of confidence. I thought I wasn't worth a s--t. There are times when I lay awake at night and wonder how it went so wrong. I've lost sleep over it. Many, many nights of sleep."
3. Grier obtained the banned substance at an over-the-counter supplement store in Gainesville. Grier and kicker Austin Hardin got on a healthy eating kick as roommates in 2014. They got some protein powder from a Total Nutrition store in town and after a few months with positive results a sales associate suggested another substance.
He said it was a new thing that helped your muscles take in more protein and helped them recover faster. So we went home, and the first thing we did was look on the internet. We're not stupid; we wanted to look it up and make sure it was all clear. I looked at every NCAA site, and many other sites, to see if it was healthy for you. I wasn't going to put anything in my body that wasn't legal and wasn't healthy.
But Grier takes total responsibility for not checking with Florida's trainer to make sure the substance was approved.
I checked each ingredient on the bottle to see if it was on the NCAA banned list. I did my research and was confident in it. What I didn't do is ask the trainers at Florida if it was cleared. I still don't know why I didn't. It's no one's fault but mine.
4. It wasn't a smooth transfer process. Grier said it "felt like he was being pushed away" from the Gators football program and accused McElwain of telling reporters that he was eligible to practice with the team while sending a different message behind closed doors.
I said, the exact quote, "I just want to know what your plans are for the future. Are you going to bring in more guys? Am I a guy you don't see playing here in the future?"
He said, "You're welcome here in the future, you're a Gator, but I'm not telling you my plans. I'm not giving you any guarantees."
Two weeks later, I decided to have one more meeting, man-to-man, and ask McElwain what the future held. I kept asking him what I could do to make it work there. He finally ended up saying, "Maybe a fresh start isn't the worst thing." He said that, and I said, "So I guess that's the move."
