Jon Sumrall says Vernell Brown III ‘doing everything in his power to play’ amid prolonged absence
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Jon Sumrall defended injured star wide receiver Vernell Brown III during his Monday press conference, with the Florida head coach reassuring reporters and fans that Brown’s absence since late September isn’t for a lack of trying to get back on the field.
There has been an outcry on social media about Brown’s prolonged absence since the sophomore injured his knee during the first half of the Gators’ blowout victory over Ole Miss on Sept. 26.
The injury kept Brown out for the entire month of October, as he missed 4 games while Florida stumbled to a 1-3 record during that time. The Gators have sorely missed Brown, whose last game in late September coincided with the high point of UF’s season, when the Gators improved to 4-0 with a perfect September to start Jon Sumrall‘s first season in Gainesville.
During Brown’s absence, there has often been a tease through that particular week that he could return to the field before Brown was ultimately ruled out every time. That pattern happened again last week in the leadup to the Georgia game, when it looked like Brown’s return was imminent before he ended up missing the game in Atlanta in Week 9.
With Brown’s injury and absence being a hot topic at Monday’s press conference, Sumrall came to his star’s defense, telling reporters:
He wants to play. He’s doing everything he can to play. He’s pissed off he can’t play, and he’s doing everything in his power to play. It’s a real injury that we thought we were on the other side of that he had a setback last week. It sucks. It freakin’ sucks for him. It sucks for the team because he helps our team be better. He wants to play. He’s doing everythign in his power to play football. I don’t know what else to say.
Brown piled up 17 catches for 271 yards and 2 touchdowns to go with 2 punt returns for touchdowns during his brilliant month of September. But an agonizing and painful month of October followed for Brown, Sumrall and the Gators, and now the wait continues in November for Brown to return to the field.
No. 25 Florida (5-3, 3-3 SEC) is back in action on Saturday night (7:45 p.m. ET, SEC Network) when unranked Oklahoma comes to The Swamp. Brown’s status for that game will no doubt be closely watched, once again, by Gators fans who are getting impatient as they wait for Brown to get back on the field.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
