NEW RULE

No words are innocuous.

Ricky Jean-Francois (Monday): “If we get a good shot on [Tim Tebow], we're going to try our best to take him out of the game. With his size and his heart, it's hard to get a clean shot. I think every lineman wants to get a good hit on a Heisman Trophy winner.”

Ricky Jean-Francois (Wednesday): “We have great respect for Tim as a player and a competitor. By taking him out of the game, I meant as a defense we are going to try to make him ineffective. I'm sorry that my initial comments were interpreted another way.”

Francois merits a reprieve. Occasionally, words are not intent. Words are merely words. With that stated, Francois must think. He is a premiere athlete. LSU versus Florida is a premiere contest. Cameras and microphones are omnipresent. Francois should not have spoken.