THE SPURRIER ERA IS OVER. Spurrier himself said he had no interest in returning. I know it has been reported that Foley and Machen did not want him and purposely drove him away, but we have no proof. Has Spurrier officially come out and said this? And let’s not be so high and mighty to think that Spurrier could never be interested in USC over Florida. He has already been here and won. By returning to Florida, he could do nothing but tarnish his legend. At USC there would be less pressure, lower expectations and a more PATIENT fan base. And if you think Foley and Machen are going to be fired over this, you need to pull your head out of you rear. Florida’s Athletic Department is one of the elite departments in the nation. A friend of mine earned his Masters degree in sports marketing at the University of Georgia and they studied Florida’s Athletic Department as the premier mode. Foley has not all of a sudden become and lap dog for the president. As for Machen, the University of Florida is an academic institution first and an athletic institution second. Machen will not lose his job because of a football coach, and that is a FACT. The sad thing is that there are several excellent football coaches out there who aren’t going to get the full support of the Florida fan base because some of you think Spurrier was turned away. Meyer is one of the hottest coaching prospects and was at the top of my wish list. Prior to the Spurrier fiasco, Meyer was considered an excellent coach and many of you echoed those sentiments. Now that Spurrier has optioned for South Carolina, Meyer is an overrated coach who runs a gimmicky offense and will be over his head at UF much like Zook was. Not to mention the fact that conspiracy theorists believe hiring Meyer proves that Machen’s ultimate goal all along was to fire Zook and spurn Spurrier to get Meyer. The fact is I am not disappointed that Spurrier will not be our coach next year. I am more upset that he chose to coach against us in the SEC, but that was his choice. It was not Foley and Machen’s fault that Spurrier left us high and dry three years ago. I loved Spurrier, but I am a supporter of the University of Florida first and the Florida Gators second. I will support whoever is hired and I truly wish everyone else would do the same. My fear is that no matter who is hired, the new coach they will still be compared to Spurrier and not receive our full support, a FIRE.com site will be opened and some “fans” will actually root for USC over the Gators just to prove Foley and Machen wrong. Our supposedly loyal fans have already some of their luster for their treatment of Zook and such actions would only further embarrass our program. I’ve said my peace and I’ll sign off by saying good luck Spurrier, except against Florida, and Go Gators.