"Untold: Swamp Kings" – a four-episode documentary that will be released on Netflix on Aug. 22 – will relive the Florida Gators heyday under coach Urban Meyer and star quarterback Tim Tebow.
Florida won two national championships in three years in the 2006 and 2008 seasons, and the NFL talent on the roster was staggering. There was another side to that run, however.
The Gators had 31 players arrests under Meyer – and "Swamp Kings" does touch on those issues with player behavior. It's not a major point of emphasis however, and viewers will be able to see a few holes.
Here is what you won't see in "Untold: Swamp Kings":
Aaron Hernandez
"Swamp Kings" does not have much on Hernandez. There is no talk about his recruitment, his role on the team or his post-Florida career.
Viewers looking for any insight on Hernandez's time at Florida won't get much outside of Tebow's account of a 2007 incident where Hernandez was involved in a fight at The Swamp restaurant.
Tebow says Hernandez was called several racial slurs before the fight broke out. Tebow expresses regret for not getting Hernandez out of that situation.
"I blame myself for that," Tebow says in "Swamp Kings."
Outside of a few highlights, Hernandez is not talked about in the rest of the episodes.
Hernandez was drafted by the New England Patriots in 2010. Hernandez was arrested in 2013 and charged for the murder of Odin Lloyd. Hernandez was found guilty of first-degree murder in 2015, and he died in 2017 while in prison.
MORE: 'Swamp Kings' goes in depth on Urban Meyer, Tim Tebow relationship
Cam Newton
Newton was a five-star recruit was Westlake High School in Atlanta in 2007. Newton is mentioned as part of that legendary recruiting class and appears in a few montages, but there is no mention of the incident in which Newton was charged with felony burglary after stealing another student's laptop.
Newton was suspended for the 2008 season, transferred to Blinn College then landed at Auburn, where he won the Heisman Trophy and led the Tigers to the national championship in 2010. That was Meyer's final season in Gainesville. "Swamp Kings" does not explore that narrative.
Newton is not interviewed. Even a short interview on his recruitment to Florida – or what it was like to play with Tebow – would have added to "Swamp Kings."
Percy Harvin
"Swamp Kings" interviews several star players from those teams, including Tebow, Brandon Spikes, Major Wright and Chris Rainey.
Harvin – a five-star from Landstown in Virginia Beach, Va. – is not among those former players interviewed. Harvin compiled 1,852 rushing yards, 1,929 receiving yards and 32 TDs during his three years with the Gators.
There are Harvin highlights, but he is barely mentioned otherwise. In 2012, Matt Hayes reported Harvin "physically attacked wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales, grabbing him by the neck and throwing him to the ground" in a Sporting News investigative report on Meyer's tenure at Florida. That incident is not covered in "Swamp Kings."
Harvin also missed the 2008 SEC championship game against Alabama and had a TD run out of the Wildcat in the 2008 BCS championship game against Oklahoma. It would have been interesting to get Harvin's take on all of that.
Player behavior
Yes, the arrests were covered – but the tone of "Swamp Kings" differs from the ESPN 30-for-30 "The U" – which covered the Miami Hurricanes dynasty. In "The U", the stories from Michael Irvin, Bennie Blades and other former Miami players in those documentaries were detailed. The Hurricanes' misbehavior added to the aura of those teams.
"Swamp Kings" presents a different tone. It tries to push that narrative to the background. It does not gloss over the arrests, but it is presented as one segment in a four-episode documentary. Meyer does accept responsibility for the behavior and offers a reason why he gave players second chances.
Meyer gets emotional recounting the case of Avery Atkins – a cornerback who was charged with domestic battery in 2006. Meyer kicked Atkins off the team and the charges were later dropped. Atkins later died from a drug overdose on June 5, 2007.
Urban Meyer's final season
"Swamp Kings" ends after the 2009 season.
It does not explore Meyer's final season in Gainesville, when the Gators finished 7-5. That was the worst season of Meyer's career, and he would retire to focus on his health. Meyer does open up about his addiction to Ambien during the documentary, but there was no insight from players such as quarterback John Brantley and running back Jeff Demps.
Remember that confrontation between Meyer and then-Gainesville Sun Sentinel reporter Jeremy Fowler? That happened in 2010. Some insight into how quickly the Gators' machine unraveled and the fallout since would have been helpful.
What went wrong in that season? We never get the answer from Meyer. Instead, that is part of the credits scene which shows Meyer with Ohio State and the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Nick Saban
Other than Dan Mullen – who was Meyer's offensive coordinator – we get nothing from other SEC coaches during his time. What was it like to coach against Meyer? ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum is featured prominently in the documentary, and he is an objective voice with equal praise and criticism of that tenure.
What about Nick Saban? Those back-to-back matchups with Alabama in the SEC championship game in 2007 and 2008 are covered, but there is nothing from the Crimson Tide side on what it was like to prepare for those Florida teams.
Meyer and Saban are jointly responsible for taking the SEC to the next level in the BCS era, which set up the success that continues in the College Football Playoff era. It would have added to the story to have Saban's thoughts on Meyer and Florida.
