San Francisco 49ers linebacker Takeo Spikes was under the impression that his team would be selecting his cousin, former Florida Gators now New England Patriots LB Brandon Spikes, last weekend during the 2010 NFL Draft.

“I really thought we were going to get him in San Francisco. I thought that was going to happen. [The 49ers] really liked him,” Spikes told the Boston Herald. “I talked with our GM [Trent Baalke] and our linebackers coach [Vantz Singletary] about him several times. It didn’t work out, but I think he’s in probably just as good a position where he is now, maybe even better.”

Though he is disappointed that he will not be playing alongside his cousin, Takeo believes Brandon was undervalued and will be a great fit in New England.

“I think one of the things people didn’t see, what goes unnoticed and unseen, is the fact his presence on the field makes everyone around him better,” Spikes said. “Just talking to a lot of the Florida players, that’s some of the things they’ll tell you about him. Once he gets acclimated, once he understands what he’s doing, I’m pretty sure you’ll see he’ll have that same type of effect on that team as well.”

The Herald also reports that the cousins did not know they were related until Takeo’s father passed away in 2001 and he decided to research his family tree. In addition to sharing a number (51), the two share parental grandparents. The older cousin has all the confidence in the world that the youngster will succeed in the NFL.

“The main thing I told him was the faster you pick up [the defense], the quicker you gain the concepts, the faster you’ll be able to play,” Spikes said. “And I guarantee he’s going to do whatever it takes. He will be the first one in, and the last one to leave. He’ll be trying to find the nuances of the defense, and do whatever it takes to allow him to play faster, and prove people wrong.”

While speaking with the Herald, Spikes also endorsed former Gators now Patriots defensive end Jermaine Cunningham.

“He can definitely pass rush,” Spikes said. “We know that from seeing him at Florida and I think he’s athletic enough to where he will be able to get it done on the outside. […] I look forward to seeing him in the NFL. One thing I would never do is lie about a football player.”

Photo Credits: Icon SMI, Cliff Welch/Icon SMI

The Boston Globe’s Monday report that former Florida Gators tight end Aaron Hernandez’s “character concerns” were the result of “multiple failed drug tests for marijuana” during his time at Florida led the New England Patriots’ fourth-round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft to release a statement through the team Tuesday proclaiming that he only had “one single violation of the team’s substance testing policy over the course of three years.” Hernandez called the initial report “inaccurate,” while promising to “make better decisions going forward” in his professional career.

Wednesday, Globe writer Albert Breer (who sourced three NFL teams in his original article), now claims that he has five different teams substantiating the story that Hernandez failed “absolutely, positively more than two” tests while with the Gators.

Because the University of Florida has a policy not to discuss student-athletes’ drug test results, the truth my never be known. However, Hernandez’s fall in the draft makes it is obvious that (at least) the vast majority of NFL teams believe the story as the Globe is reporting it rather than how the player is explaining it.

Following up on the smoking marijuana portion of the story, the Orlando Sentinel‘s Jeremy Fowler spoke with former Florida cornerback Wondy Pierre-Louis, who estimated that about 75 percent of the 2006 team engaged in the activity. However, Pierre-Louis also defended head coach Urban Meyer‘s efforts to rid the program of this problem and discipline players who tested positive.

“I know a lot of players who didn’t smoke because they wanted to stay on the team,” Pierre-Louis said. “I think every year the percentage is going down. Coach Meyer knows what he’s doing. People still do it anyway, but maybe more people are doing it undercover.”

Photo Credit: John Biever/Sports Illustrated

Flying into West Palm Beach, FL, for a Gator Gathering with the Palm Beach County Gator Club on Monday evening, Florida Gators offensive coordinator Steve Addazio was anything but tired from a long day’s work. He gave a passionate and informative speech and answered questions for over 90 minutes before departing. Below is a recap of some of the more newsworthy, interesting and passionate things that Addazio had to say during the event:

Check out much of what Addazio had to say Monday…after the break!
Continue Reading » Addazio “really jacked up about” Gators in 2010

Florida Gators junior forward Alex Tyus submitted his name into the 2010 NBA Draft without hiring an agent earlier this month. As his final decision date [May 8] nears, Tyus will pick up next week and head over to IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL, in order to physically prepare for NBA workouts given before the draft, according to The Gainesville Sun.

Tyus, who almost transferred after the 2009 season but was convinced to stay by head coach Billy Donovan, can return for his senior season should he remove his name from the draft pool prior to May 8. He has previously said that he will not leave Gainesville, FL, unless he is projected to be a first-round pick.

“Mainly, I just want to see where I stand [with the NBA Draft Advisory Committee],” Tyus previously told the Sun. “I want to go through the process, getting a chance to meet with some teams, working out against other players, trying to get better.”

ESPN college basketball analysts Chad Ford and Andy Katz have both been critical about Tyus in recent days, each saying the only decision he should make should be to come back to Florida. While evaluating those who should stay in the draft or return to school, Ford had Tyus listed in a group of players who should run back to school and did not even have him ranked in his top 100 available players (No. 116). Needless to say, Ford’s projection is that he would be picked in the second round or go undrafted.

“Tyus is an athletic, but undersized big man who will likely struggle to make the transition to the small forward position in the pros,” he wrote earlier this month. “He’s best around the basket in a blue-collar type of role, but won’t be able to do the same amount of damage in the pros. I expect him to go undrafted if he stays in the draft.”

Katz questioned if his mind was even in the right place.

“Alex Tyus can’t seriously be thinking of staying in the draft, can he?” Katz pondered. “If he returns, the Gators will have a quality team that can compete for the SEC title with guards Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton and forwards Chandler Parsons and Vernon Macklin returning to go along with recruits Patric Young and Casey Prather. The Gators would have a solid team with Tyus back. If he stays in the draft, it’s just one less experienced player.”

With just over a week to make his final decision, Tyus has some serious thinking to do.

1 » Fifty-three student-athletes attending the University of Florida were named to the 2010 Southeastern Conference Winter Academic Honor Roll on Tuesday according to a release by commissioner Mike Slive. The women’s swimming and diving teams led the way with 18, the men’s team added 15, nine represented gymnastics (every eligible member), women’s basketball added six and men’s basketball followed with five. Florida’s total of 53 was second-best in the SEC, following only Alabama (56).

1 » Former UF network coordinator Steve Babik, a member of the athletic department for two decades who was arrested and charged in federal court with the receipt, distribution and possession of child pornography in January, pleaded guilty to the charges Tuesday in United States District Court. Babik, 50, faces five to 20 years in prison and will be sentenced on Aug. 2 after investigators found “a significant volume of [media featuring] children engaging in sexual acts” on his computer.

On Monday, the Boston Globe came out with a report detailing the “character concerns” surrounding former Florida Gators tight end Aaron Hernandez leading up to the 2010 NFL Draft. The paper claimed three sources told them Hernandez had “multiple failed drug tests for marijuana” during his time at Florida, though it also cited a source close to Hernandez who said that he just failed one in February 2008.

The allegations led the New England Patriots‘ fourth-round draft choice to release the following statement through the team Tuesday afternoon:

“Leading up to the draft, I provided every interested NFL team with all the information asked of me about football and my personal life. I was as candid as I could possibly be about everything, including my one single violation of the team’s substance testing policy over the course of three years at the University of Florida. That is why I was very surprised and disappointed by the recent inaccurate report of additional violations. I regret what happened, I learned from it and will make better decisions going forward. I couldn’t be more excited about beginning my NFL career and representing the New England Patriots well.”

The Gainesville Sun points out that the University of Florida’s substance abuse policy matches up with Hernandez’s claim. According to the Sun, that policy goes as follows:

- First positive test: additional testing/counseling
- Second positive test: one-game suspension/counseling
- Third positive test: two-game suspension/counseling
- Fourth positive test: six-game suspension/counseling
- Fifth positive test: one-year suspension/possible reinstatement

Of course, the school’s administration has the ability to reduce, adjust or amend these penalties on a case-by-case basis depending on a variety of factors.

Hernandez was suspended for the 2008 season opener against Hawaii, the first game the team played after his alleged positive test in Feburary of that year.

Photo Credit: John Biever/Sports Illustrated

While he still has plenty of work to do to prove his worth on the field, former Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow has already set one record as a member of the Denver Broncos.

According to Bloomberg, “Tebow sold more jerseys during the [2010 NFL Draft] weekend than any other rookie or current player.” The No. 25 overall pick, he topped previous record holder and New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez, who led the league in 2009. He also sold more jerseys than popular rookies like Reggie Bush and Vince Young (2006).

“It’s a pretty substantial difference between him and the next guy,” said NFL spokeswoman Joanna Hunter of Tebow’s jersey sales. Detroit defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh came in second, followed by St. Louis QB Sam Bradford, Kansas City safety Eric Berry and Dallas wide receiver Dez Bryant.

You can purcahse Tebow’s No. 15 Broncos jersey directly through OGGOA.

1 » Florida Gators 2011 tight end commitment A.C. Leonard (Jacksonville, FL) will be transferring to his second high school in as many years. According to The Florida Times-Union, the goal is for Leonard to improve his test scores in order qualify for admission to the University of Florida. “Academically he’s on the right track,” University Christian head coach Heath Nivens told the paper. “His grades are solid, but he’s got to get his test scores up. We’re going to help him with some of those things this summer, as far as an SAT prep class so that in July he’s in great shape to qualify.”

2 » Former Gators defensive tackle Torrey Davis, who played his final college season with the Jacksonville State Gamecocks after leaving Florida due to academic and off-the-field issues, has agreed to a free-agent contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers according to The Birmingham News. One of the nation’s top recruits in 2007, he is best known for making two exciting goal line tackles in the 2009 BCS National Championship game against Oklahoma. He will attempt to make the Buccaneers’ roster during mini camp workouts.

3 » Apparently a radio host in Boston, MA, named “Toucher” working for 98.5 The Sports Hub, after former Gators quarterback Tim Tebow was selected by the Denver Broncos, said his family’s celebration “looked like some kind of Nazi rally … so lily-white is what I’m trying to say. Yeah, Stepford Wives.” As David Whitley of Fanhouse explains, it will be interesting to see whether or not CBS decides to take action against the host like it did against Don Imus for calling the Rutgers women’s basketball team “nappy-headed hos.” Take a look at Whitley’s thoughts and decide for yourself.

UPDATE: On Monday, “Toucher” apologized for his comments. “Anyone who listens to the show regularly knows that I am not the most articulate person in the world,” he said. “I apologize to you that were offended. You know, I just apologize, and I regret what I said.” CBS still has a decision to make…

4 » Though he told reporters that he has yet to speak with any universities in particular, Southeastern Conference commissioner Mike Slive said Monday that his organization is discussing expansion internally. “Given the success we’ve experienced over the past decade, we are comfortable in the position in which we find ourselves,” Slive said. “Having said that, if there’s going to be a significant shift in the conference paradigm, the SEC will be strategic and thoughtful in order to maintain its position as one of the nation’s premiere conferences.” In other words, if the Big 10 chooses to expand to 16 teams, the SEC will do its darnedest to make sure they are not upstaged.