GAINESVILLE, FL - Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer today said that starting defensive end Jermaine Cunningham was "totally justified" in his actions that led to his arrest with a former teammate after allegedly assaulting a sandwich shop employee with a sandwich and empty soda cup.
"I mean, if you buy a sandwich, you should get the chips for free, right?" said Meyer. "Then, they tried to make the sandwich with one of those 'wedge cuts', where a wedge is cut out of the top of the loaf of bread instead of slicing it in half. Everyone knows that's a complete rip-off - you get like half as much filling that way. I normally condone any member of the team that gets involved in an off-the-field incident. But it this case, the jerk at the sandwich shop totally deserved it."
Meyer said that outside circumstances also need to be taken in consideration.
"He hit that guy with a turkey and avocado on white," he said. "I don't think anyone - even a football player - is going to cause that much damage with that sandwich. If it was a Cold Cut Trio on rye, maybe it's a different story."
Sources close to the investigation report that the unnamed employee may have caused the already tense situation to reach a breaking point by adding vinegar and oil to the sandwich without asking Cunningham.
This is not the first time that Florida players have had a restaurant-related incident. Four players were suspended for one game after causing more than $20,000 to a Gainesville-area Shakey's Pizza after being told that it would be 15 to 20 minutes before the pepperoni pizza would be ready as part of the Bunch-A-Lunch buffet.
