Player caught gouging the eyes of opponent

[Mark McCall]

I've been a fan of the game of football my entire life.

I played Jr. High and High School as a tight end, cornerback, outside linebacker, winning the TAPPS Texas State Championship in 1980. I've been a position coach as well a the head coach of several YFL and Pop Warner teams. Even served several seasons as a back judge/referee.
I've also spent hundreds of hours scouting YFL teams for other teams.

I though I'd seen it all, but I've never seen anything like THIS.

I'll admit things go on at the bottom of a pile after a tackle, but I've never seen anything as low class as trying to injure another player by gouging him in the eyes.

You be the judge.
Worth a 1/2 game suspension?

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[Gna]

Worth jail time. And a total ban from the sport for life.

[swampler]

And he only got suspended for the 1st half of Florida's next game...against Vanderbilt. Should at least be a longer suspension if not more severe.

[bill8131]

That is LOW!!!

[brian.austin]

Honestly, this doesn't particularly surprise me, especially for Texas. Football has turned from a sport into a religion in some areas. Parents are adjusting their lives to get their kids in the right ELEMENTARY football programs to make sure they get into the right high schools and later colleges...for a game.

Competition is high. The stakes are high. We created the environment. This should not be a big shock.

[Mark McCall]

Ironic that Spikes is using the face shield to prevent getting gouged himself.
Attempting to injure another player calls for a personal foul, or ejection if you asked me.

That the play was over makes this even more heinous.

Originally Posted by brian.austin

Honestly, this doesn't particularly surprise me, especially for Texas. Football has turned from a sport into a religion in some areas. Parents are adjusting their lives to get their kids in the right ELEMENTARY football programs to make sure they get into the right high schools and later colleges...for a game.

Competition is high. The stakes are high. We created the environment. This should not be a big shock.

There are areas here in W. Texas that take it so seriously, Dad's of players are occasionally offered jobs to facilitate moving the family into that school district.
I know several families that moved into different school districts to give their kids more valuable exposure to help get a football scholarship.
Moving from 3A to 5A can do wonders for your career, if your athletic enough.

Friday Night Lights was written by an author who spent a season in Odessa Texas (two hours south of here).
The book was not a flattering portrayal of the aura that surrounded the mindset of Odessa Permian Football.

I wouldn't say the problem is rampant, though.

[Douglas]

cant see youtube since im at work. What school did this? Not that matters, but I thought it was florida, going by the OP.

AS Brian said, its not surprising. As long as its our team doing the stuff and not the other team, most wont care. As long as it isnt something crazy, most fans wont care. They'll even say its part of the game. Usually backed up with the phrase "Well, its a contact sport.". See that often used for hard hits in Hockey.

[swampler]

Originally Posted by brian.austin

Honestly, this doesn't particularly surprise me, especially for Texas.

Except it wsn't Texas...it was Florida that did it to a Georgia player. Supposedly, the Georgia player had earlier ripped off the the Florida player's helmet and poked him in the eye (accidental, I'd bet) and this was retaliation.

[Mark McCall]

Originally Posted by Douglas

cant see youtube since im at work. What school did this? Not that matters, but I thought it was florida, going by the OP.

As long as its our team doing the stuff and not the other team, most wont care. As long as it isnt something crazy, most fans wont care.

Yes, it was the Florida Gators.

I used to tell my players...."It's not the guy that hits first that gets caught...it's the guy that retaliates. Don't hurt the entire team by drawing a personal foul after the fact".

Refs are trained to spot jawing between players. If a guy is playing dirty, he will get flagged sooner or later.
My players were taught to let it roll off their back.
"Play YOUR game, not theirs".

[Mark McCall]

Originally Posted by swampler

Supposedly, the Georgia player had earlier ripped off the the Florida player's helmet and poked him in the eye (accidental, I'd bet) and this was retaliation.

I believe it to be unintentional.
Here's the video to the play you mentioned.
Spikes got his helmet knocked off and possibly gouged in the eyes.
The play is in progress, and I didn't see the fullback attempt to intentionally injure Spikes.

In the previous video, the play is over, Spikes is attempting to injure the fullback.

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