A lot has been written about this Brandon Spikes story. A lot of people say it's a cheap shot. A lot of people say he's dirty. (Well, you could make an case after viewing this picture, but that argument is for another day…) James Brown and Chris Canada decided to take on the two sides of this debate below. Enjoy!

James Brown - Brandon Spikes is an idiot.

The hit to his image, our football team’s image, and my alma mater’s image takes because of his action is inexcusable. I don’t care what the other team was doing, how the other party feels about his punishment, or how nasty football can get at times. Brandon Spikes is responsible for his own actions, and represents all of us who wear orange and blue. It’s an embarrassment that this eye gouging video exists. Dirty play like that is bush league, and should be beneath the standard we, as Gators and as humans, should hold ourselves to.

Further, the punishment handed down by Urban Meyer is a token punishment. This is obvious in the fact that the suspension is measured in fractions of a game. Urban: it’s Vanderbilt…in Gainesville! We can’t just suspend him the whole game to get people off our backs? What possible reason is there for suspending him for so short a time period? Why not send a message that the defensive captain is not above the law?


Chris Canada – Get Over It!

Let's all calm down a bit. This is football, not field hockey. There are plenty of things that happen during the course of a football game that you don't see. I have seen a lot of shady things happen on the field during my years of watching football. And while I never played football, I've had first hand accounts from some of my best friends that played that have told me of the nasty stuff that happens in a pile up. This is especially true during the scramble for a fumble, when it was not uncommon to have punches thrown, fingers beaten and bent the wrong way, and even the occasional grab of the groin within the pile. Players will do anything to defeat the other team.

As for the punishment, Urban has to show that he doesn't want to portray a dirty team. So naturally he suspended him for a half of a game. The SEC and NCAA didn't seem to mind at all, as they told coach the decision was up to him. The punishment fits the crime. You make dumb decisions, to have to sit. It's just like a player scoring poorly a test, or getting in a fight outside bar. This isn't like he broke the law, or cheated on his tests, or attempted to maliciously take someone's knees out in a move that could threaten their career. He freakin talked some smack in a pile, and stuck his hands in the player’s helmet! Even the running back that got ''gouged'' didn't think Spikes should get suspended.

In his four years here, I've never heard of Spikes being a dirty player. I think this situation is unique (an anomaly really) and he shouldn't be labeled as such. While I don't condone the need for unnecessary violence, I still understand that emotional, boneheaded moments happen. It's not a big deal. It's fine. It's football. Get over it!