So Andrew Meyer apologized.
So Andrew Meyer withdrew from the semester.
So Andrew Meyer has accepted punishment from UF and the State Attorney's Office.
But should we accept his apology? It's been six weeks since Tasergate, when University Police Department officers Tasered Meyer at Sen. John Kerry's forum Sept. 17. This apology could have come sooner, since Meyer's attorney said he began drafting it as soon as he was released from jail.
In Meyer's apology letter, he seems to make himself out to be a martyr after sparking debate and protests on campus about free speech, Student Government's open-mic platform on the Plaza of the Americas and Meyer's ever-present question about voter disenfranchisement after the 2004 election.
Should we buy his apology?
Meyer was reported to have told UPD officers they did nothing wrong after he was arrested and charged with a third-degree felony and a second-degree misdemeanor.
Now that Meyer has found worldwide attention, YouTube fame and probably countless Facebook friend requests, we wouldn't be surprised if he's ready to put this whole thing behind him.
We're ready, too. Forgive and forget, the saying goes.
OK, so here goes.
We forgive Meyer for embarrassing UF in front of Sen. Kerry, the forum's audience, video cameras and the millions of viewers who watched the embarrassing incident online. We forgive him for turning an Accent-sponsored event into a knock-down, drag-out fight.
We forgive him for Accent's response to what happened, namely for Dr. Jack Kevorkian's speech being moved to next semester. Hell, we'll even forgive him for the chaos that ensued on campus.
But we won't forget any time soon, and we're sure he won't either.
We know Meyer won't forget, because he has received punishment from UF and the State Attorney's Office. He won't forget because now his record will have a permanent mark on it - although some future employers might not view that as a bad thing.
He won't forget because of the worldwide attention, YouTube fame and probably countless Facebook friend requests.
UF won't forget, either. Its Committee on Civil, Safe and Open Environment will be active at least through the end of the year, and any decisions or recommendations it makes could affect UF for years to come.
UF students won't forget. Thanks to the catchphrase of the year - "Don't Tase me, bro" - and the protests staged, every student will remember what happened that fateful day.
Hopefully, UPD won't forget. Even though the Florida Department of Law Enforcement cleared it of any wrongdoing and its two officers are back on duty, we sure as hell hope officers will think more discriminately next time they whip out their Taser guns.
Sen. John Kerry won't forget. Out of all the campaigning and all the speeches he's done in his decades of politics, we're pretty sure this forum at UF ranks at the top of the "Most Interesting" list - but let's face it, that list isn't very long.
We won't forget, either. This entire ordeal has been a huge learning experience for everyone at UF, whether they are students, student reporters, UF administrators or Andrew Meyer himself.
We accept Andrew Meyer's apology, but don't take our word for it.
You can read Meyer's apology letter on Page 7.
