How Many Florida Football Players Were Arrested When Urban Meyer Was Coach

As portrayed in the FX/Hulu series American Sports Story, numerous players from the University of Florida football team of 2008 were taken into custody. As Aaron Hernandez, the former NFL great and standout tight end who was found guilty in 2015 of killing semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd, Josh Rivera plays the lead role in the American Sports Story cast. A rudimentary grasp of Aaron Hernandez’s complex background, turbulent family life, and fast track to becoming a Florida Gator prior to joining the NFL’s New England Patriots in 2010 can be gained from the first two episodes of American Sports Story. Hernandez is one of the NFL players and coaches that are portrayed in American Sports Story.

American Sports Story recounts the height of University of Florida head coach Urban Meyer’s tenure, during which he guided the Gators to consecutive national championships in 2006 and 2008. The University of Florida boasts one of the top collegiate football teams in the nation as well as maybe one of the best rosters of all time, but the organization’s image was put in risk when a few players had actual run-ins with the law. Hernandez got into a bar fight with other players over an unpaid $12 tab, and he was one of the guys jailed. In a Gainesville shooting, he was also questioned, but as American Sports Story portrays, he was never charged with a crime.

American Sports Story References 21 Florida Football Players Who Were Arrested

American Sports Story references 21 players on the 2008 University of Florida football team, including future NFL Most Valuable Player Cam Newton, who stole a laptop and faced several felony charges. As depicted in the series, head coach Urban Meyer was forced to deal with these numerous arrests as they not only jeopardized the futures of his very talented football team but the entire University of Florida football organization at large. Meyer is called to meet with the President of the university to answer for these various unlawful actions done by his players and justify his decision to keep them all on the team instead of cutting them.

What Each Florida Football Player Was Arrested For

The felony charges against numerous University of Florida players were reduced to misdemeanours or withdrawn entirely. Even while possession of marijuana, violence, and theft accounted for the majority of the arrests, certain particular cases were more serious or peculiar. Carlos Dunlap was accused of DUI in December 2009 after dozing off at a stop sign. In September 2010, Chris Rainey was accused with felony stalking. After being accused of felony domestic abuse in November 2008, Jacques Rickerson was cut from the team right away. Not all Florida Gators experienced legal problems, as American Sports Story shows. Hernandez was not the only one.