In general, it is tough to gain an understanding of the type of family a student-athlete comes from unless you hear a recruiter or reporter rave about one. However, from what Carlos Dunlap, Sr. has said over the last few days about his son’s DUI arrest, one can get a pretty good idea of the upbringing the Florida Gators junior defensive end received. On Thursday, Ben Volin of the Palm Beach Post spoke with Dunlap, Sr., who was quite vocal about how disappointed his family and his son are about the recent situation. For a player who had a flawless (trouble-wise) three years at Florida, Dunlap has been tormented with his mistake and its repercussions.
“How would anyone feel when they have the golden opportunity God has given them to be on such a platform, and then the situation is taken from you, whether it’s your own doing or not?” Dunlap, Sr. said. “Carlos is very, very disturbed about this, but this is something the lord has placed in his hands. I still can’t believe it. I’m still waiting for somebody to wake me up. He’s the one that kept me grounded all my life. He’s always been the one that wanted to tell everyone else what not to do, and lead by example. He’s not the kid you saw in the paper. He’s still a great kid. Somewhere, something went wrong. He’s very loving and caring, and concerned and worried about how people perceive him. This is something we have to work out in the court of law, but in the court of love, Carlos is very torn. But he will bounce back from this. We’re a strong, surviving family.”
On his son’s future with the Gators this year and beyond, Dunlap, Sr. had this to say:
“We don’t want to do anything to hurt the University of Florida football team. We love the team to death and we don’t want to be any distraction. We want to be a complement to the team, not a hindrance to the team. Our presence at the [SEC Championship] game will not be what the team needs to be focused on. We came to the University of Florida for a four-year education. He has another year in school to go. Everybody’s talking about the draft. We’re not talking about the draft. It’s never even been a thought. We as a family never even sat down and talked about leaving school. My son’s job this year was what they were talking about – finish the mission.”
The Gators may have to finish the mission of an undefeated season and third BCS National Championship in four years without perhaps their most explosive defensive player should head coach Urban Meyer‘s indefinite suspension stand past Saturday.
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