NEW ORLEANS — Urban Meyer only wanted to talk about the Sugar Bowl in his press conference Thursday.
He didn't want to answer questions about his health, the way he retired then unretired within 24 hours, or whether he had a heart attack at any point in the season.
“I think there will be an appropriate time to address some of those situations,” Meyer said. “Today would not be the day. This is about a celebration of a great football game with two really good teams, one undefeated team and one team that was undefeated until the SEC Championship Game.
“It would be really inappropriate to have any other discussion other than our football team, our football players, and trying to go win a tough game.”
Multiple questions by reporters went unanswered, though Meyer did comment on the latest news — a 911 phone call by his wife, Shelley, made in the early morning of Dec. 6.
The tape was made public yesterday and revealed Meyer was hospitalized for chest pains, not dehydration, which was the official public statement at the time.
“I think when you're dealing with family members, I have three children that mean more to me than anything, I have a football team that means more to me than anything, and to — I didn't want it to get out at all,” Meyer said. “And then we were very careful. I didn't want anyone alarmed. And I think at some point, whether you're a football coach, whether you're a lawyer or whatever, you think at some point there would be a lot of respect for families involved and children and 11-year-old boys and 16-year-old girls and 19-year-old girls that — do what you have to do to protect them.
“If that means not coming clean with full details about something very personal, if you can't understand that, then, first of all, I think you've got to recheck yourself. And then second of all, I think at some point you certainly will understand that.”
Meyer also commented on the possibility of current safeties coach Chuck Heater becoming Florida's new defensive coordinator, a job Heater expressed interest in earlier in the week.
“That's certainly in the discussion,” Meyer said. “That's something we haven't discussed while we're here, because once again that's not helping us to get these kids ready to go in this game. That will be all done after the game.”
