Netflix’s “Swamp Kings” chronicled the incredible run of the mid-2000s Florida Gators as Urban Meyer led them to two Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game wins and three 13-1 seasons.
The team included plenty of incredible characters, including Meyer, tight end Aaron Hernandez and Heisman Trophy winning quarterbacks Tim Tebow and Cam Newton.
Urban Meyer Takes Jab at ‘Swamp Kings’ Critics
And while some didn’t love the documentary, criticizing its lack of new information and deep dives into off-field issues, Meyer doesn’t want to hear it.
“I thought ‘Swamp Kings’ was outstanding,” Meyer said on “Another Dooley Noted Podcast.” “I thought someone said, ‘well, there’s not (this and that talked about), it’s like, shut up, you know? Shut up. You’re talking about the Orlando Sentinel, you know, enjoy the moment, man.”
“I mean, we had some players do some stupid things … look at what’s happening now in certain programs, I mean, it happens all the time. So shut your, shut up. Enjoy the greatness of some great players that were phenomenal for the University of Florida, in one of the greatest runs in college football history.”
Tebow agreed with Meyer’s perspective, saying in a Sept. 2023 interview that while he hasn’t seen the finished product yet, he duly enjoyed the process.
“I actually haven’t even seen the whole finished product yet,” Tebow told On3. “We’ve been on the road like crazy. I’ve gotten to see clips and I know so many people have seen it and shared encouraging things.”
“I think one of my favorite parts was just getting to reunite with so many players that we’re just so close with … There’s a story about a lot of highs, some lows, some great moments, some disappointing moments, but I think more than anything, a lot of people that came together for a cause.”
“And how close so many of us still are and how when we get together, because we’re literally all over the world, when we get together, you can just pick right back up and more than anything, it’s a story of brotherhood.”
Newton, on the other hand, left feeling disappointed.
“They left out so much,” Newton said on “Club Shay Shay” in 2024. “Go talk to Percy (Harvin). Go talk to Charlie Strong. Go talk to Joe Haden. Ask them the real. They would’ve done that (expletive) for free … You want to tell us the real story? That was a very toxic locker room. We still had success.”
“But damn, it was a combination of a lot of talent that was boiling over. And there was times where it was just unmanageable. And then there was also times where it was a thing of beauty, where it was a competition every day, every practice like we competed.
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“And even though Tim Tebow was a person who I wanted to be better than. Tim Tebow made everybody better. Because he competed. That energy that he had that screaming and ah, that’s something that I could connect with. And he connected with everybody else.”
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