With one of its best young linebackers, Antonio Morrison, toeing the line of an open-ended two-game suspension, who better for the Florida Gators to welcome home than a 37-year-old linebacker who has been everywhere Morrison hopes to go?
Former Gator Mike Peterson, a 14-year NFL veteran, has returned to UF to earn his degree and will also be a student assistant for UF coach Will Muschamp.
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"You talk to anybody who coached Mike, we all talk about he was a coach on the field and he obviously was a really good player," Muschamp said. "But he was a guy that had a cerebral approach to the game and understanding why we did things, not just how to do it, but why. He has been great for our players."
Peterson made 883 tackles in his NFL career with the Falcons, Jaguars and Colts, and was also known as a positive locker-room influence. UF has a multitude of talented young linebackers with NFL potential, including Morrison, Ronald Powell and Dante Fowler. But it's Morrison who could benefit most from Peterson's presence from a maturity standpoint.
Morrison was suspended for a minimum of two games by UF coach Will Muschamp after his second arrest in five weeks last month. But after the charge was dropped amid public criticism for the arresting officer's decision to haul Morrison in for barking at a police canine, questions have been raised about whether the suspension could be reduced.
Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter @ChaseGoodbread.
