Gators should be thankful for Urban Meyer

With the news coming down yesterday that Florida football head coach Urban Meyer is stepping down due to health concerns, my immediate thought was that there had to be more to it. Perhaps some sort of scandal he was trying to dodge, or getting out from behind the fan before the shit hit.

But while my initial skepticism may be more a result of living in a world of sports scandals, perhaps this is a genuine example of a man who realizes the pressures of big-time college football coaching aren't worth cutting his life-expectancy in half.

Meyer says his health has become too great a concern to overlook anymore. And while Florida Gator fans might be upset to see him walk away after only five seasons with years and years left on his monster contract, those same fans should be grateful for what he did for Florida football over the last half-decade. Two BCS Championships later, Meyer walking away from the program is a lot more forgivable.

Perhaps this could begin a trend of coaches walking away from coaching sooner than the Bobby Bowden's of the world. It's no secret how tough a job it is to run a big-time college football program. But in a world where big football means big business and big money, coaches who earn millions of dollar are expected to deal with those stresses while still achieving on-field success.

Here's to hoping a coach like Urban Meyer can maintain his health while still finding a way to contribute to college football.