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Mike Norvell has some explaining to do to his players. The Florida State football coach claimed to have spoken to each of his players individually about the death of George Floyd and the events that surrounded it, telling The Athletic it was “important to me because this is a heartbreaking time in our country.” But …
Mike Norvell has some explaining to do to his players.
The Florida State football coach claimed to have spoken to each of his players individually about the death of George Floyd and the events that surrounded it, telling The Athletic it was “important to me because this is a heartbreaking time in our country.”
But Seminoles captain Marvin Wilson rebutted Norvell’s claim and said he and his teammates will start boycotting workouts.
“Man this 💩 did not happen mane,” the star defensive tackle tweeted. “We got a generated text that was sent to everybody. There was no one on one talk between us and coach. This is a lie and me and my teammates as a whole are outraged and we will not be working out until further notice 💯”
Multiple Florida State players retweeted Wilson after he called out Norvell late Wednesday.
The Seminoles began voluntary workouts Monday, according to the Tallahassee Democrat, the first step back toward a possible season in the fall amid the coronavirus pandemic. But the attendance may be lacking until Norvell talks with his players who are upset.
In the wake of Floyd’s death last week in Minneapolis police custody, protests have been held across the country to fight against systemic racism and police brutality. In light of those events, The Athletic’s Tashan Reed asked Norvell if the program had “done anything as a staff to check in with them a little bit more in what may be a challenging time for them on another level.”
“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’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.”
Norvell replaced Willie Taggart as head coach this offseason after four successful years leading Memphis.
