By David Jones, Florida Today  GAINESVILLE, Fla.  The SEC fined Florida coach Urban Meyer $30,000 for his comments about league officiating during Wednesday's SEC teleconference, commissioner Mike Slive announced Friday.  Meyer will pay the fine himself, with no help from the school. He was upset at Georgia linebacker Nick Williams' hit on Tim Tebow in last week's 41-17 Gator win. It appeared on video it could have been called a late hit.  The school sent a tape of the play to the league office. Video of the hit circulated on the Internet since UF linebacker Brandon Spikes' yanking at the helmet of an UGA player resulted in a suspension earlier in the week.  "I'm not sure I'm allowed to give you that, what they said. I don't want to step out of line," Meyer said during the SEC teleconference. "Once again I've always had great confidence in — that should have been a penalty in my opinion. Obviously it should have been. You've got to protect quarterbacks. That's the whole purpose. It's right in front of the referee. But once again I have great — I'm not sure how they're going to handle that but we do send it in and that was one of the plays we did send in."  The fine is the first since the conference's athletic directors, with the support of presidents and chancellors, voted to have all violations of SEC Bylaw 10.5.4 enforced by suspensions and fines. The change was largely because of Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin, Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino and Mississippi State's Dan Mullen all speaking publicly about officiating.  "Coach Meyer has violated the Southeastern Conference Code of Ethics," Slive said in a statement. "SEC Bylaw 10.5.4 clearly states that the coaches, players and support personnel shall refrain from public criticism of officials. The league's athletics directors and presidents and chancellors have made it clear that negative public comments on officiating are not acceptable."  Meyer also issued a statement on Friday.  "I have great respect for commissioner Mike Slive and the Southeastern Conference and I respect this decision. There was no intent to criticize an official after being asked about a situation that occurred last Saturday and I apologize for my remarks," he said.  You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference.
Urban Meyer of Florida became the first coach to be disciplined under the Southeastern Conference's new policy regarding criticizing officials. The league fined Meyer $30,000 on Friday, two days after he said referees missed a late hit against...