Via an independent Florida student newspaper, the Alligator, a crazy story from Florida football practice: a “source close to the team” told the paper freshmen Dominique Easley and Ronald Powell, two of the team’s top incoming recruits, were upset with coaches’ treatment of them on Monday, and therefore didn’t show up for practice on Tuesday and considered transferring.

There is, however, one problem with all this: another “source close to the program” told fansite Onlygators.com that the story was bunk. They said Powell indeed left Tuesday’s practice out of frustration, but didn’t skip it. Easley, on the other hand, did miss Tuesday’s practice, but they said this was for a different, unspecified but non-football reason.

The same site reported coach Urban Meyer was “fuming mad” at the false revolt info spreading, but SportsByBrooks said Meyer has only himself to blame for the confusion, because of his decision to close preseason practices to fans and media.

And it does indeed appear the decision backfired – the “internet people” Meyer derided when announcing practices were closed got their juicy tidbits to publish (whether they were, you know, true or not is a different matter) even without direct access.

But re: Easley and Powell – man, those guys must have thought college football was going to be easy. It’s hard to blame them on the one hand, considering how easily their natural talent allowed them to dominate at every level before this one, but as Easley’s comparison of himself, Powell and fellow incoming freshman Sharrif Floyd to the Miami Heat’s Big Three at Florida’s media day showed…well, some humbling had to happen there.

Indeed, the required humbling sounds like it’s already underway. Considering Powell and Easley are already back practicing with the team, whatever fits of rage and frustration might have overcome them didn’t do so for good. Eventually, the two will likely find it in themselves to dominate in college – it just won’t be as easy as it used to be.

Photo via

SportsGrid

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