FSU fans really tried to come for Tashan the journalist who quoted Norvell. No black journalist would lie about something like this. His career would have been over. On the other hand, Norvell could cap and still have a career.
For the third year in a row at
The Athletic, we’re doing our
State of the Program series, which provides a deep dive into a team — the depth chart, returning production, recruiting, coaching changes, schedule analyses and overall assessments of dozens of college football programs across the country. While I’ve been covering the Las Vegas Raiders since April, I was
The Athletic’s Florida State football beat writer until March, so I was tasked with writing the Seminoles’ State of the Program piece for 2020.
In order to add nuance and important detail to the stories, we attempt, at the least, to interview the team’s coach, offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator. Thus, I reached out to FSU in May to request interviews with coach Mike Norvell, offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham and defensive coordinator Adam Fuller over the phone. I interviewed Norvell and Dillingham on Tuesday morning.
I discussed a wide range of topics with both, and one of the things I asked Norvell was whether he’d discussed the death of George Floyd and the ensuing protest with his players. Given that the majority of the scholarship players on FSU’s roster are black, I considered it a relevant and important question, and Norvell, who was aware the interview was being recorded, had no issues addressing the topic and made the following statement.
“We’ve had a lot of open communication with our team, our players and our coaches,” Norvell said. “I went back and forth individually with every player this weekend. And that was something that was important to me because this is a heartbreaking time in our country. You see hate and you see discrimination. You see some of the acts that have occurred; I mean, it is a problem. And it’s something that we have to stand together and we have to work to get it fixed.
“I’ll continue to share with our guys the platform that they have and the opportunity that is there for them to make a difference, to be an influence and to be able to impact our country in a positive way by the overall mindset and approach of how we treat people to how we respond in situations. I told these guys just how grateful I am to be a part of this journey with them because they are the future. We’ve got an incredible group of men that I get a chance to work with as players and coaches.
“I’m honored to have the opportunity to help make a difference. That’s something that we definitely have talked about in a big-picture team approach, but also, more specifically, the individual and group conversations. We’re trying to meet our guys at their need and be able to share some of the emotions that we’re all going through.”
I shared the statement on Twitter later Tuesday.
To that point, there weren’t many college football head coaches who had addressed the topic in detail publicly, and I planned to write a story using the quote late this week.
The response was overwhelmingly positive until Seminoles senior defensive tackle Marvin Wilson contested Norvell’s statement in a Tweet of his own Wednesday night. He acknowledged that Norvell had sent a text to the entire team, but denied that one-on-one conversations had occurred and threatened to decline to participate in voluntary workouts as a result.
I was floored by Wilson’s statement. I didn’t expect it; I had no reason to. Earlier in my interview with Norvell, he told me that he’d been sending video messages and texts to his entire roster every Sunday since the COVID-19 pandemic forced the ACC to suspend athletic activities in March. It didn’t strike me as odd that, given recent events, he’d discuss Floyd and the ensuing protests in a similar series of conversations.
But I received a backlash on Twitter questioning my integrity and accuracy and the legitimacy of the quote. FSU went 11-14 in the two years I covered the program, and I often was honest and critical in my assessments in stories I wrote and through Twitter; I also no longer cover the team. Evidently, that led some to believe I’d sacrifice my journalistic ethics to shame the program from afar.
That’s unequivocally false. It was an accurate quote from Norvell, who, again, knew the interview was being recorded. There was no ill intent in sharing the quote, and I certainly had no idea what was to come next.
Norvell held a team meeting in Tallahassee on Thursday morning in response to Wilson’s Tweet. Not long after the meeting, Wilson posted a video on his Instagram account saying the issue had been reconciled.
Shortly thereafter, Norvell released a statement on his Twitter account.
In part, the tweet said Norvell was “proud of Marvin for utilizing his platform to express his reaction to my comments.” Norvell also said, “Particularly at this time, words are important, and I’m sorry. Once again, I am grateful for the opportunity that I was given to speak to our team more in-depth as a result of Marvin being willing to express his feelings.”
The Athletic received a copy of the text Norvell sent to his players Saturday:
“Good evening,” Norvell said. “I wanted to shoot you a short message, sorry I can’t send video cause I’m driving. I wanted to let you know that (wife) Maria and I are praying for every coach & player as well as for our country. For all those that have been victims of hateful actions, discrimination, prejudice and disrespect we lift them up in our thoughts and seek justice. We live in an unfair & volatile world but I want you to know that you are loved & counted on to make a difference for our country’s future.
“I know there is anger and strong feelings that come with each day and every experience but please know better days are ahead because of YOU. Be safe and please always know we are here for you as coaches and staff if you ever need to talk. You have a tremendous platform as member of our Nole Family. Let’s be different and let our actions be heard in Service, Sacrifice, and Respect. Thank you for opportunity to coach you and stand by your side can’t wait to see you tomorrow night in zoom meeting!”
Florida State conducted a voluntary workout as planned Thursday. It appears that, moving forward, things will return to normal for the Seminoles, or as normal as they can be during a pandemic.
This is genuine: I’m happy that’s the case. I don’t believe Norvell had sinister intent when he made his statement. Perhaps he should’ve been more careful in his wording, but I have faith that he’s truly supportive of the concept of allowing his players to have a voice and express themselves.
At a time like this, I think that’s invaluable and that Norvell deserves credit.
. That cac would have been picking up his teeth from the ground if he said that to me. But this is the reason why white people continue to do shyt to certain black people. They know they won't do shyt and go along to get along.
that that Dabo shyt was QUICKLY swept under the rug along with the assistant coach who called the player the N word. Clemson got the protection now......
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