Florida State rebukes racist post against Willie Taggart.
Florida State lost to Florida on Saturday, snapping the Seminoles’ 5-game winning streak over their arch rivals and the program’s FBS record 36-year bowl streak. While the FSU fan base was understandably upset with the result and Willie Taggart‘s 5-7 debut season, one fan took it over the line by posting a racist meme depicting Taggart’s head photoshopped onto the photo of a lynching.
The image was captioned with the line, “Believe in Something Even If It Means Sacrificing Your Rep.” The meme was posted to a Facebook page dedicated to FSU football fans. When one user, according to the Orlando Sentinel, commented if the post was serious, the poster, credited to an account named Tom Shand, replied, “I’m dead [expletive] serious. This is how far I’m willing to go to get rid of this clown!!!” Facebook and Twitter accounts linked to Shand were quickly deleted, and the employer connected to Shand’s LinkedIn account, Hilton Grand Vacation in Orlando, began receiving blowback for the post, according to the Sentinel.
As the photo made the rounds on social media, Florida State’s administration felt compelled to respond.
“A recent racist social media post aimed at our football coach is ignorant and despicable,” Florida State president John Thrasher said in a statement. “I speak for the entire FSU community in expressing our disgust and extreme disappointment, and I am glad the state attorney is investigating.
“Coach Taggart has our full support and as true Seminoles know, he is a respected member of the FSU family".
Florida State rebukes racist post against Willie Taggart
