Playoffs
Hall of Fame
Jim Henry @JimHenryTALLY
Word is FSU coach Jimbo Fisher met with his team earlier today. Laid down the law; bars off limits to players. Moving forward with...
bringing in professionals, as President Thrasher indicated in statement yesterday, to meet with players. Proactive as promised.
bringing in professionals, as President Thrasher indicated in statement yesterday, to meet with players. Proactive as promised.
Clark: An embarrassing week for Florida State
When I first heard on Friday that Dalvin Cook had been accused of punching a woman outside a Tallahassee bar I immediately said, "Are you kidding me?"
Like you, I might have even thrown an expletive in there somewhere. Because it just never seems to end with this program. The same week that backup quarterback De'Andre Johnson gets dismissed for punching a young woman in the face, Cook gets charged with essentially doing the same thing.
And to make matters worse, Cook's alleged altercation took place one night before Johnson's. It defies belief.
Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher said in a statement: "We will do better. I will not tolerate anything less."
Florida State president John Thrasher said in his statement: "I am extremely disappointed to learn of this allegation against Dalvin Cook. I fully support the immediate and indefinite suspension of Cook from the football team while we look into this matter further and due process runs its course"
These are the right things to say. Their statements were seriousand were worded strongly.
And they needed to be.
Not because Florida State needs to protect its image with the national media. Because let's face it, that ship has sailed.
No, Florida State needs to protect its image with its own fans. Because they're embarrassed right now.
And that's what the powers that be at FSU need to be concerned about.
I've written on it a few (too many) times in the last year, but this fan base has been through the ringer the last 21 months. They've been besieged with accusations that they cheer for a renegade program, with a win-at-all-costs mentality, that has essentially unleashed violent offenders into this community. Simply because they can help the football team score touchdowns.
Those fans have fought back. Said it's untrue. And unfair. That it's just a narrative the national media is pushing, that the reality on the ground is far less nefarious (and those claims have certainly been valid in certain instances, in my opinion).
But then those same fans, the ones that have been defending the program for the last two years, find out two of their football players allegedly punched women in the face. On consecutive nights in late June.
How do you defend that?
The overwhelming sentiment among the FSU fan base has to be: "enough is enough." It is tired of the negative headlines. Beyond tired, actually. Exhausted. And you truly wonder how much more the Florida State faithful can take of this.
That's why Fisher and Thrasher released those statements.
To tell the FSU fan base and the Tallahassee community that they are fed up with it, too. That they are not going to put up with these (alleged) assaults.
Well, with Johnson it's not just alleged. We saw the video. It was awful. And he was rightly kicked off the team.
With Cook, though, it's a different situation. And not just because he's one of the best running backs in the country. There is no video, first and foremost. There are statements. From the alleged victim that says Cook punched her multiple times. And from Cook, who said he didn't get into a physical altercation at all.
So it's certainly not fair, at this point, to lump Cook in with Johnson. Even with the state attorney feeling there was sufficient evidence to charge the sophomore running back with misdemeanor battery.
He has not been convicted. And Cook says he did nothing wrong. So take that into consideration. This isn't nearly as open and shut as the Johnson case was.
But either way, with two different players being charged with misdemeanor battery within days of each other, this last week has been nothing short of embarrassing for Jimbo Fisher and his football program.
It's been embarrassing for the university as a whole. Obviously.
And it's left an entire fan base wondering if - and when - the bad news will ever stop.
Like you, I might have even thrown an expletive in there somewhere. Because it just never seems to end with this program. The same week that backup quarterback De'Andre Johnson gets dismissed for punching a young woman in the face, Cook gets charged with essentially doing the same thing.
And to make matters worse, Cook's alleged altercation took place one night before Johnson's. It defies belief.
Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher said in a statement: "We will do better. I will not tolerate anything less."
Florida State president John Thrasher said in his statement: "I am extremely disappointed to learn of this allegation against Dalvin Cook. I fully support the immediate and indefinite suspension of Cook from the football team while we look into this matter further and due process runs its course"
These are the right things to say. Their statements were seriousand were worded strongly.
And they needed to be.
Not because Florida State needs to protect its image with the national media. Because let's face it, that ship has sailed.
No, Florida State needs to protect its image with its own fans. Because they're embarrassed right now.
And that's what the powers that be at FSU need to be concerned about.
I've written on it a few (too many) times in the last year, but this fan base has been through the ringer the last 21 months. They've been besieged with accusations that they cheer for a renegade program, with a win-at-all-costs mentality, that has essentially unleashed violent offenders into this community. Simply because they can help the football team score touchdowns.
Those fans have fought back. Said it's untrue. And unfair. That it's just a narrative the national media is pushing, that the reality on the ground is far less nefarious (and those claims have certainly been valid in certain instances, in my opinion).
But then those same fans, the ones that have been defending the program for the last two years, find out two of their football players allegedly punched women in the face. On consecutive nights in late June.
How do you defend that?
The overwhelming sentiment among the FSU fan base has to be: "enough is enough." It is tired of the negative headlines. Beyond tired, actually. Exhausted. And you truly wonder how much more the Florida State faithful can take of this.
That's why Fisher and Thrasher released those statements.
To tell the FSU fan base and the Tallahassee community that they are fed up with it, too. That they are not going to put up with these (alleged) assaults.
Well, with Johnson it's not just alleged. We saw the video. It was awful. And he was rightly kicked off the team.
With Cook, though, it's a different situation. And not just because he's one of the best running backs in the country. There is no video, first and foremost. There are statements. From the alleged victim that says Cook punched her multiple times. And from Cook, who said he didn't get into a physical altercation at all.
So it's certainly not fair, at this point, to lump Cook in with Johnson. Even with the state attorney feeling there was sufficient evidence to charge the sophomore running back with misdemeanor battery.
He has not been convicted. And Cook says he did nothing wrong. So take that into consideration. This isn't nearly as open and shut as the Johnson case was.
But either way, with two different players being charged with misdemeanor battery within days of each other, this last week has been nothing short of embarrassing for Jimbo Fisher and his football program.
It's been embarrassing for the university as a whole. Obviously.
And it's left an entire fan base wondering if - and when - the bad news will ever stop.
