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Highlands Today

Spikes deserves more than a half-game suspension

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Highlands Today

Published: November 4, 2009

University of Florida's outstanding linebacker Brandon Spikes apparently didn't like a Georgia running back in last Saturday's game. He decided to try to claw his eyes out during a tackle. He failed in that, thank goodness, but did succeed in getting a suspension for his deed. As far as suspensions go, though, he barely received a slap on the wrist.

Gator football coach Urban Meyer decided to give Spikes a half-game suspension against Vanderbilt on Saturday. He did this after video footage of Spikes clearly shows him shoving his hand into the helmet of a downed Georgia player. Meyer, a supposed disciplinarian, is going surprisingly soft on him.

A lot of people are claiming this is just football as usual. They say that all kinds of nastiness goes on in those dog piles after a tackle. It's true some things do happen and many aren't particularly nice, but trying to gouge someone's eyes to the extreme such as Spikes is not the norm. Anyone claiming that is making excuses for Spikes.

We don't believe Spikes should be suspended for the rest of the season or even more than one game, but it should at least be an entire game. A half-game suspension is a joke and it makes Florida look bad. And having him missing against Vanderbilt in Saturday's game wouldn't harm the team.

Yes, football players are tough and nasty, but we have to draw the line somewhere on what's acceptable.

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