Young men should be learning from older men, not the other way around.

The Auburn Family would like to begin by congratulating the Florida Gators on a hard fought victory in Saturday’s battle with our Auburn Tigers. The pageantry and fervor between our two schools is still palpable, even with too many years separating our meetings on the gridiron. Scheduling is an issue both universities can get behind, but we shall save that discussion for another day.

Our open letter is being penned to specifically address concerns regarding Head Coach Dan Mullen of the Florida Gators football program. We would also like to call attention to the leadership of the University Athletic Association, the University of Florida, and the Southeastern Conference as well.

During the course of the first half of the game, an incident occurred involving redshirt junior quarterback Kyle Trask of the Florida Gators and senior defensive end Marlon Davidson of the Auburn Tigers. Davidson appeared to cause, at the time, a severe injury to Trask while attempting to tackle him. Further analysis of what transpired during the play revealed Davidson simply fell into Trask, incidentally causing the injury.

Taking it a step further, the actions of the Florida offensive line caused the unfortunate situation. A blatant missed holding call by a Gator lineman on Davidson resulted in the Auburn defender losing balance and falling into Trask. Media personalities and fans from both sides have agreed this was truly what transpired. This point is not meant to lament over one missed penalty or delegitimize the Florida victory, but to solidify the incidental nature of Davidson’s involvement in Trask’s injury.

Our letter is meant to call attention not to the actions on the field but the words on live television of the Florida head coach as he was leaving at the conclusion of the first half. When asked about his quarterback, Dan Mullen said, “He’s going to come back, I think he has a light sprain to his MCL. Hopefully the league tries to keep quarterbacks safe from dirty plays.”

In the heat of the moment, Coach Mullen made an inflammatory statement which demeans the character of Marlon Davidson, for one, but also implicates Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn and the rest of the program. Instead of waiting to see what actually took place, Mullen chose to voice unfounded opinions which attack the good name of Davidson and others.

We are requesting that Dan Mullen formally apologize to Marlon Davidson, Gus Malzahn, and the entirety of the Auburn football program. We hope the leadership of the University of Florida and the Southeastern Conference also see the need for this gesture. The contentious statement is a subtle yet obvious attack on the content of their character. The Auburn family prides themselves on the values enshrined within the Auburn Creed, namely the fourth line:

I believe in a sound mind, in a sound body and a spirit that is not afraid, and in clean sports that develop these qualities.

It is very encouraging and admirable to watch two young men in their twenties display such outstanding sportsmanship. It is also disheartening to watch the leader of a major football program not exercise restraint in commentary that could harm others. Shortly after the conclusion of the game, Marlon Davidson sought out the injured Trask to embrace and formally express his regret for his involvement in the play. Trask graciously returned the embrace and seemed to express his understanding. A true show of sportsmanship and honor between two warriors on the field of battle. Older, more seasoned men are the ones that should be teaching and displaying these moments. Not the other way around.

We trust that Florida Head Coach Dan Mullen will honor our request of the above formal apology. We also hope that the University of Florida will see to it that this transpires. The Southeastern Conference should also ensure that appropriate actions are taken by their member university, as we trust they value sportsmanship and taking responsibility for ones actions, including spoken words. We all make mistakes but its how we respond to those mistakes that define who we truly are.

The SEC’s current slogan is “it just means more.” Words, in conjunction with actions, just mean more in righting wrongs. If Davidson and Trask have taught us anything, it is that they believe this concept.

We hope Dan Mullen, the University of Florida, and SEC do as well.

Featured image via John Raoux, Associated Press