COLUMBUS, OHIO (AP) - It appears that Ohio State wide receiver Evan Spencer won’t be speaking to reporters for quite a while.
Coach Urban Meyer said Tuesday that Spencer wouldn’t speak with the media for “a long, long time” after saying a day earlier that Ohio State would “wipe the field” with Alabama and whoever is No. 2 in the Bowl Championship Series rankings.
“I guess I’m a little biased, but I think we’d, uh, we’d wipe the field with both of them,” Spencer said, chuckling. “But that’s just my bias speaking.”
Currently, Alabama is No. 1 and Florida State No. 2 in the BCS rankings. Ohio State is No. 3.
It was a statement that Spencer _ the son of a former Ohio State and NFL player and coach _ concluded with a laugh. It was clear he was half-joking. But sarcasm, humor and nuance seldom can be sensed between the lines of cold, hard print or on a monitor or screen.
Meyer was asked on the Big Ten coaches call about Spencer’s words.
“I’m very disappointed. I can’t stand that,” Meyer said. “I think I know Evan well enough. I even talked to him briefly. He was kind of smiling when he said it. So, no I can’t stand it. He’s certainly not the spokesman for our team.”
Spencer, a bright, engaging talker, will be off limits to reporters _ for quite a while.
“As a result, what I do is Evan won’t talk to the media for a long, long time,” Meyer said. “You don’t do that. That’s not good sportsmanship. And that’s not what we expect. I understand, he’s a young man who made a minor mistake. But we just don’t do that. We talk about your teammates, we talk about the team and move on.”
Social media sites blew up with fans angry about Spencer’s comments.
Spencer apologized on Twitter for his quotes. He said he was trying to make a light-hearted comment and was not speaking for the team.
Meyer was not pleased, publicly or privately, that an upcoming opponent was disparaged, even in jest.
“What he believes and what goes on inside the locker room certainly doesn’t need to be in the papers and all that,” Meyer said. “I don’t like disrespecting other teams.”
Spencer, a 6-foot-2, 206-pound junior, is third on the Buckeyes in receiving with 21 catches for 209 yards and three touchdowns.
Ohio State (9-0, 5-0 Big Ten) plays at Illinois (3-6, 0-5) on Saturday.
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