Florida coach Urban Meyer was fined $30,000 by the Southeastern Conference for criticizing officials.
Commissioner Mike Slive announced the fine Friday, two days after Meyer said referees missed a late hit against quarterback Tim Tebow in No. 1 Florida's 41-17 win against Georgia.
The fine is the first since the SEC changed its policy about coaches publicly criticizing officials. The conference has done away with reprimands and made the punishment either a fine or a suspension.
Meyer issued a statement of apology following the fine.
KEEPING IT PUBLIC: The final regular-season ballot of every voter in the USA Today college football coaches' poll will remain public.
The coaches had considered making those votes confidential. But Grant Teaff, executive director of the American Football Coaches Association, said Friday it will stay an open ballot.
The coaches' poll helps decide which teams play in the BCS national championship game.
Ballots in The Associated Press' college football poll are available to the public from the preseason to the final post-bowl vote.
BAND CRASH: A dozen students and a bus driver are being treated for injuries after three buses carrying members of the renowned Grambling State University marching band were involved in a traffic crash in southern Arkansas.
Arkansas State Police spokesman Bill Sadler said none of the injuries appear to be life-threatening.
Sadler said four buses from the school in north Louisiana were near Fordyce, Ark., on Friday when the second bus slowed. The two trailing buses each hit the bus ahead.
In all, 126 students were aboard.
Grambling is scheduled to play Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 1 p.m. today in Little Rock.
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Professional drivers tailgating before they get to a parking lot.
Who pays Meyer's fine? Who does Meyer complain to about poor reffin'?
So Socialism has finally came to the SEC???
Meyer spoke the TRUTH. He is a hero, just like Joe Wilson!
Meyer has been accused MANY TIMES for lying to football recruits & has shown such low class behavior on so many occasions so much so as to degrade the CHARACTER of college football coaching profession so sad because he is a great football coach...He has EVERY RIGHT TO complain about officiating however. This policy of not being able to criticize officials is not in the games best long term interest. The apology thing is so lame...why not MAN UP (something he has a REAL HARD TIME DOING) and say you believe in your right to your opinion so long as you do not make personal attacks (WHICH HE DID NOT) on the refs..like sheep we are all led to the slaughter....
I dont know what he is complaining about. Didnt he have play named brandon spikes that was suspended for eye guaging one the georgia players last week, which wasnt called by the refs. It was the sec higher ups had to make florida take action and at first they suspended him half a game, now the whole game. he says tebow has hit late. if it was any other player would he have said what he said. NOPE. thats his superman, he can not do no wrong. im waiting to see what happens next year without superman.
Before people start thinking that Meyer is a fair guy by extending Spikes' suspension from half a game to a full game, you need to know what REALLY made him increase it. Spikes pulled a groin muscle and would have to sit out the entire game anyway, so Meyer told the press that he just increased the suspension to make a better statement for his team! Yeah, right! He lied about it, plain and simple. And before you start thinking that I'm lying about it, I got this info straight from a young man who is a trainer on the Florida team! The young man also said that Spikes is NOT remorseful about doing it.
Being a coach of any team has pitfalls these days. You are required to win. You have to go after the best athletes. They are not always of the best character or the best of students. It's a tough balancing act.