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Florida Football: Questions about Grier’s Suspension

By John Richardson

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The Florida Gators have been the surprise team of the SEC in 2015.  They have started the season 6-0 and have one of the most impressive wins of the young 2015 college football season on their resume (a 38-10 thrashing of then #3 Ole Miss).  One of the keys throughout their surprising run has been redshirt freshman Will Grier.

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After being locked in a quarterback battle all the way through spring, summer and fall practices, it was not until after the season was underway when it became evident Grier would be the starter.  Once he became the regular starter, however, Grier was nothing short of marvelous.

His best game of the season came against the vaunted landshark D of Ole Miss.  In that game, Grier went 24-29 for 271 yards . . . and threw for four touchdowns in the first half.  For the season, Grier has already surpassed 1,000 yards passing despite splitting time and has 10 touchdowns (compared to 3 interceptions).

Dude was going HAM.

That all came to a halt Monday.  Will Grier was suspended for a full year (not just the remainder of this season) after failing a PED test.

Oct 10, 2015; Columbia, MO, USA; Florida Gators quarterback Will Grier (7) throws a pass during the second half against the Missouri Tigers at Faurot Field. Florida won 21-3. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

I won’t speculate about whether he felt he needed an advantage to edge out Treon Harris, but it does seem like a plausible explanation.  It also seems odd that this comes out after so much speculation about why Jim McElwain would not really fully support Grier.  Did he know something?

Any answers to those questions are pure speculation, but there are other questions that must be answered.  Some are on the field, others not.  Feel free to add any questions you feel should be answered in the comments section.

Does this mean Treon Harris is THE guy?

Since Grier has taken the reigns, Harris has been operating a smaller package in the offense.  Treon Harris will certainly become the starter, but will there be another situational player?  McElwain clearly does not have the utmost confidence in Harris . . . will he try to breed a new competitor for the spot?

Was Grier alone?

Will Grier has claimed it was an accident due to using a supplement he bought over the counter.  If that is the case, were there others on the team using the same supplement?

Is Grier telling the truth?

We have heard too many steroid rumors and confirmations to automatically give players the benefit of the doubt in 2015.  Was there a culture of juicing in the Swamp?  Was there a group of juicers?

Editor’s Note:

I talk to other editors, people in SEC football offices, football fans and browse the occasional message board.  A conspiracy that keeps popping up deals with the flu that Florida came down with before the Ole Miss game.  The theory is that Florida used the flu excuse to postpone a drug test and allow players time to get illegal substances out of their system.  How that all works and if there is any shred of fact to it is beyond me.  I just thought I’d mention it as it has been espoused by several sources that, to my knowledge, do not know each other.

Next: The Hurry Up: Week 6

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