Graphic: Scott MacCord
A newsy presser, volleyball on top, more Gators tidbits
Tuesday, September 26, 2017 | General, Football, Scott Carter
A glance at the latest news and notes around Gator Nation.
Several minutes into Florida football coach Jim McElwain's weekly Monday press conference, the Alachua County Clerk of Circuit Court website began posting sworn felony complaints against nine suspended Gators in relation to alleged credit-card fraud as part of a six-week investigation by the University Police Department.
McElwain and the room full of reporters knew more details would surface soon – at least one reporter said he had checked just an hour earlier to see if anything new had been posted on the website – but when remained the question.
And then everyone discovered the answer simultaneously, resulting in one of the oddest press conferences I've attended in a while. McElwain was asked eight questions before specifics about the felony complaints began flooding the Twitter timelines of the media in the room.
For the rest of the press conference there was a mix of football and felony questions. In some strange way, it all seemed par for the course this season. Earlier in the press conference McElwain announced a quarterback change -- Luke Del Rio is now the starter -- which normally would dominate the press conference.
Not this one.
The No. 21-ranked Gators (2-1, 2-0 SEC) have eight regular-season games left, starting Saturday at home against Vanderbilt (3-1, 0-1). And this won't be the last we hear during the season about suspended players, felony charges or credit-card fraud. Their fate in the judicial system is far from finalized, much less their standing with the program.
This has the feel of one of those seasons that is going to be day-to-day, week-to-week. The only consistent theme thus far is adversity. Some teams unite and thrive from it. Others wilt and crumble.
The Gators have no choice but to play the season out and see where it leads.
"Our team kind of had moved on and then we'll deal with whatever it is when it comes up,'' McElwain said. "I think there's one thing these guys have done a pretty good job of is dealing with some things."
Let's take a look at some links from Monday's unique press conference and other happenings around Gator Nation:
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UF files criminal complaints against nine football players writes Robbie Andreu of The Gainesville Sun.
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Five keys for Florida to succeed against Vanderbilt and maintain momentum by Ryan Young of SECCountry.com.
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Gators Athletic Director Scott Stricklin issued a statement on fraud complaints via Thomas Goldkamp of 247Sports.com.
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Felony charges widen the scope and increase the stakes of Florida's fraud case by Andy Staples of SI.com.
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Hays Carlyon of GridironNow.com weighs in on Luke Del Rio taking over as Gators starting quarterback in place of Feleipe Franks.
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Of course, there's much more happening around Gator Nation. If you haven't seen the Gators volleyball team play this season, check them out ...
New @AVCAVolleyball rankings
— NCAA Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball) September 25, 2017
1. Florida
2. Stanford
3. Minnesota
3. Penn State
5. Texas
6-25: https://t.co/jVmfsB2TlU pic.twitter.com/VYvt53Mn4G
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Former UF standout Joakim Noah, entering his second season with the Knicks, plans to make it better than his first …
Joakim Noah knows this whole season is about redemption - New York Post https://t.co/RT1zfdUOUq #Knicks pic.twitter.com/Blx5XWqQdd
— New York Knicks News (@N_YKnicksNews) September 26, 2017
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Gators multi-purpose threat Kadarius Toney has added an element of excitement to the Gators that not only do they desperately need, but the kind of playmaking ability that we haven't seen in a while around The Swamp ...
.@kadariustoney is special. #Playmaker #GoGators pic.twitter.com/ucBRE3C73w
— Gators Football (@GatorsFB) September 24, 2017
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D1Baseball.com ranked its top 100 programs in the country and the national champion Gators finished where you might expect ...
A special congrats to @GatorsBB, which moves from No. 3 to No. 1 and takes over as the Nation's No. 1 Program.https://t.co/XgOd1UCAM6
— D1Baseball.com (@d1baseball) September 25, 2017
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Gators head coach Jim McElwain is 21-9 in his first 30 games at UF and his record is best in close games ...
10 of Jim McElwain's first 30 games at Florida have been decided by one score. The #Gators are 9-1 in those games. https://t.co/ewAD0MVpx0 pic.twitter.com/5oDM9mTMAN
— Jordan McPherson (@J_McPherson1126) September 26, 2017
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Let's give a shout-out to the San Francisco Bay Area Gator Club for its enthusiasm for the Gators-Kentucky game on Saturday. Note to self: Next time in Bay Area, check out Pete's Tavern ...
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The Oklahoma City Thunder made headlines over the weekend by acquiring Carmelo Anthony from the New York Knicks. Former Gators head coach Billy Donovan chats with Anthony at the team's first practice of the season; too bad not a fly on that wall behind them ...
Melo & Billy Donovan having a lengthy conversation right now pic.twitter.com/4nl9TTqmrm
— Travis Singleton (@SneakerReporter) September 26, 2017
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