Joiner's Rushed Vindication

Although a felony charge was dropped against Florida's Tony Joiner before Saturday's game against Louisiana State, his rushed vindication smells fishy, writes Michael Cunningham of the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel.

Prosecutors dropped the charge Friday against Joiner, who tried to take his girlfriend's car from an impound lot in Gainesville on Tuesday. Coach Urban Meyer said Joiner would not play unless the charges against the safety were dropped. On Friday, after urging from impound lot owner and Gator fan Stan Forron, who called the incident a "misunderstanding," the charges were dropped.

Writes Cunningham: "More troubling is that in the wake of a felony charge, everyone involved seemed intent on making sure Joiner suited up against the Tigers. Alleged victims recanted, prosecutors investigated and the coach downplayed the incident with stunning swiftness."

And get this: Forron said he received more than 200 threatening calls from Gator fans, and over two dozen were death threats, including one message on the company answering machine in which the caller said he would shoot Forron the next time he saw him.

"I've been in the [towing business] since '77 and I've never seen anything like it," Forron told Florida Today. "The fans are very passionate, I think that's a big part of it."

Asked how he felt about Gator fans now, Forron said: "Disappointed."