/cdn.vox-cdn.com/photo_images/1149987/GYI0061545606.jpg)
A recent article on Sporting News discusses the tainted University of Florida football program that was enabled by now Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer, a culture of player entitlement and character issues that ultimately 'gutted' the program.
Amongst those heavily mentioned in the article was Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Percy Harvin, who played for Meyer at Florida from 2006-2008:
It was Harvin, more than anyone, who epitomized the climate Meyer created. While former players say Harvin always was treated differently as a member of Meyer’s Circle of Trust, it was the beginning of his sophomore season—after he helped lead the Gators to the 2006 national title—that it became blatant. That's also when it began to contribute negatively toward team chemistry.
At one point during Harvin's time at Florida, he apparently refused to do conditioning drills with the rest of the team and was involved in an altercation with wide receiver's coach Billy Gonzalez, during which Harvin took Gonzalez by the neck and tossed him to the ground.
Harvin was supposedly never disciplined for those actions. When Harvin missed a game in 2008 due to an allegedly failed drug test, Meyer explained it away as an injury, arguably 'creating a divide between the haves and have-nots on the team.'
Harvin could not be reached for comment about the story. The wide receiver is scheduled to have a relatively minor shoulder surgery on Tuesday to remove a bone spur.
For more on the Minnesota Vikings, check out the Daily Norseman. All your NFL news and analysis can be found at SB Nation's NFL hub.