Andrew Meyer has addressed an apology letter to UF students, UF President Bernie Machen and Student Government for his "failure to act calmly" during a Sept. 17 forum with Sen. John Kerry.
In a letter released to the Alligator on Monday afternoon, Meyer wrote that he "stepped out of line" and felt he had tarnished UF's image.
"For that again, I am truly sorry," Meyer wrote.
Meyer, a UF telecommunication senior, was tackled, Tasered and arrested by University Police Department officers during a question-and-answer session following the speech from Kerry, a Democrat who represents Massachusetts.
Meyer was charged with a third-degree felony for resisting arrest with violence and a second-degree misdemeanor for disturbing the peace.
Meyer has since withdrawn from classes, said Robert Griscti, Meyer's attorney. He plans to return in January.
Meyer has accepted punishment from UF for violating the Student Code of Conduct, stated a news release from Patricia Telles-Irvin, UF's vice president of student affairs.
The details of Meyer's penalty could not be disclosed, Telles-Irvin wrote.
"Students make mistakes," she wrote. "What's most important are the lessons learned by all of us and making things right."
A decision from the State Attorney's Office about Meyer's criminal charges is due to become available today.
Spencer Mann, spokesman for the office, could not be reached for comment by press time.
Griscti said Monday he couldn't comment on the decision. Although Meyer allowed himself to be photographed in Griscti's office, he declined comment as well.
"This is beyond anybody's expectations in terms of media interest," Griscti said. "I've yet to find anybody who doesn't know about this in Gainesville, Europe or elsewhere."
The aggressive attention from other students and the media has been hard on Meyer, Griscti said, but he's learned a lot about journalism in the process.
"Given that this is his chosen field, it's been a good educational process," Griscti said.
He said Meyer's apology was completely self-prompted. He started drafting it immediately after his release from jail Sept. 18.
"In society, as in life, there are consequences for not following the rules," Meyer wrote. "In this instance, not following the rules has imposed consequences for many people other than myself, people who have seen their school, and perhaps their degree, tarnished in the eyes of others through no fault of their own."
Griscti said Meyer didn't plan his outburst, as the UPD report might have suggested.
However, Meyer's remark to officers in the police car, when he said they "did nothing wrong," was accurate. Meyer had no animosity toward individual officers, Griscti said.
Meyer wrote that he attended the speech to ask Kerry about voter disenfranchisement in America and he "lost his cool."
Griscti said he and Meyer are happy with Machen's creation of a committee to examine UF's policies on open forums, free speech and event security.
"The creation of the panel proved once and for all that UF cares about the direction it's going in," Meyer wrote.
Griscti said he attended the panel's first meeting and is willing to contribute what he can to the committee's future discussions.
He said he would examine the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's 300-page investigation of the officers' Taser use.
"I just hope people stay interested," he said. "This university could take a lead nationwide."
