Florida's Will Grier and His PED Suspension

After the University of Florida football team finally seemed back on the road to national prominence, having amassed a perfect 6-0 record and rising to #8 in the national rankings, the NCAA dropped a bombshell yesterday when it announced that starting Gator quarterback Will Grier, who seemed to be developing as a top-tier college passer and playmaker, was suspended for a calendar year after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs.  Grier was contrite and almost tearful before the cameras...but only said that he had bought something over-the-counter with something in it.  On ESPN2's excellent morning sports talk show First Take, Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith discussed this news.  Bayless was pointed about his problem with Grier's statement, saying that if the substance that caused the failed test was due to a legal product bought at a store, then he should be specific about what he bought and where...unless, of course, he was just repeating a commonly-spoken excuse that others from the past have maintained upon flunking drug tests.  Smith, on the other hand, was more sympathetic toward Grier, saying that the suspension was much too severe, especially considering that NFL discipline is comparatively much lighter toward its highly-paid players and that college athletes are unpaid and without due representation for their own interests.  I tend to be on the side of Stephen A. Smith in this one...

A shorter suspension, with Grier 'fessing to the NCAA about what he did take, would be the appropriate discipline in this case.  And I say this as a general sports fan, although since I root for Florida it will be sad to see him have to sit out this season and part of the next.  Florida has appealed to have the suspension shortened to only encompass the remainder of the 2015 season...but I doubt that it will be embraced by the NCAA unless Will Grier gives them something besides a vague over-the-counter claim.  As for the Gator football team, it is much more than just its starting quarterback, and besides, backup (and now starter) Treon Harris is a proven, quality competitor.  It would be a mistake to sell Florida short now that Grier is gone...