Last Updated on October 9, 2007 7:04 pm by admin
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -Florida safety Tony Joiner said Tuesday he accepted responsibility for his arrest last week, a felony burglary charge that was eventually dropped but led to his dismissal as team captain.
“That was the worst thing in the world, to be stripped of my captaincy and just knowing how hard I worked to get where I was and to lose it on a boneheaded mistake and a boneheaded decision,” Joiner said. “It was tough for me.”
Joiner was arrested for allegedly trying to take his girlfriend’s car out of a towing company’s impound lot. The charge was dropped Friday because the towing company did not want to press charges and said the whole thing was a misunderstanding.
Joiner, who sat out the first defensive series against top-ranked LSU, said he hopes to work his way back into coach Urban Meyer’s good graces.
“I’m just going to have to do what I was doing before this incident,” Joiner said. “Before this incident, I was doing quite well. I just have to get back to doing what I do all the time.”
Joiner had arranged to pay the towing fee and pick up his girlfriend’s car. But when he got to the impound lot, no one was there to collect his money.
Joiner then pushed open an electric gate, got into the car and started to drive off. When Joiner stopped to close the gate, he was confronted by a witness who called police.
What did he learn from his arrest?
“Patience. I just wish I had a little more patience,” Joiner said.
He also said he waited all week not knowing whether the charge would be dropped.
“I didn’t know how anything was going to pan out,” he said. “I was just hoping it panned out for the best.”
Joiner said Meyer also made him get up early a few days for extra morning conditioning. But the most upsetting part?
“It’s disappointing my team, disappointing the Gator Nation and having a distraction going into the biggest game of the season,” Joiner said.