Florida State Football

Florida State defensive tackle Marvin Wilson told reporters on Thursday that he never considered sitting out the 2020 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic and has more social change he wants to accomplish while at the school. 

"I didn't come back to sit out and just go prepare for the league," he said. "That's taking the easy way out. For me, personally, I feel like I have work to do here in Tallahassee."

Wilson has been vocal this offseason regarding issues within Florida State's program, which included calling out head coach Mike Norvell in June for saying he had spoken to every FSU player regarding the death of George Floyd. Norvell later clarified his remarks, saying he hadn't spoke individually to each player, per Adam Rittenberg of ESPN.

Wilson later thanked Norvell for "encouraging him" to use his public platform to advocate for change. He added:

"Me being a man of color, I want to be that change. I'm going to be an educated millionaire with a degree. And I'll be able to tell those kids that you can be whatever you want in this world if you put your mind to it and you work hard, because you come from royalty.

"You are black, and you should be proud of that. You stand for something, and you mean something. You have a story to tell and a story that needs to be heard no matter what. You are special."

In a team meeting, Wilson said the team discussed how to accomplish three main goals: To register players on the team to vote, to support fundraising efforts to help Black kids go to college and to fundraise to help children in Tallahassee. 

Wilson is expected to be in the running to be off the board in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft. Several other prominent prospects have chosen to sit out the 2020 season, including Penn State edge-rusher Micah Parsons, Minnesota wideout Rashod Bateman, Virginia Tech corner Caleb Farley and Purdue wideout Rondale Moore.

Former LSU linebacker Kendrick Scott has started a petition to have the school's football venue, Doak S. Campbell Stadium, renamed in honor of legendary coach Bobby Bowden because of Campbell's pro-segregation history. 

The petition reads as follows (h/t Wayne McGahee III of the Tallahassee Democrat):

"The stadium at FSU was named after Doak Campbell a former FSU President. While, the tradition has been preserved, in reflection his non inclusive views of blacks as a segregationist is divisive, therefore his name should be removed from a stadium that has been home to many Black football players helping to build the school and the tradition to what it has become today: a national treasure.

"Therefore, this petition seeks to change the name of the stadium to the Bobby Bowden Stadium and change Bobby Bowden field to Charlie Ward field. Charlie Ward was recently polled as the greatest Seminole of all time and rightfully so. He broke a modern day color barrier by being the first Black football player to win a Heisman Trophy at a Florida School. He remains the most decorated college football player in history."

Former Seminoles fullback Freddie Stevenson agreed that a change is needed:

Campbell was the school's first president in 1950. It had previously been the Florida State College for Women. 

The university has also sought to have B.K. Roberts' name taken off its main law building. Roberts was a former Florida Supreme Court Justice who was also in favor of segregation. The Florida Senate voted in favor of renaming the building, though the state House did not pass the bill. 

"Florida State University's position has not changed on removing B.K Roberts' name from the College of Law building," the school's associate vice president for University Relations, Kathleen Daly, said in a statement. "We, together with our students, will pursue legislative bill sponsors again on this issue for the 2021 Legislative Session in March." 

It remains to be seen if the a name change for the football stadium will gain the same traction. 

With protests against systemic racism and police brutality continuing to gain momentum around the country, Florida State's football players wanted to make sure the message was heard loud and clear on campus.

To make that happen, defensive tackle Cory Durden first went to his head coach, Mike Norvell, to help produce a unity walk that would continue to spark discussions of meaningful change in Tallahassee, Florida.

"I feel like with the coronavirus and everything that's going on around the world, I feel like we needed to do something to bring everyone together," Durden told Curt Weiler of the Tallahassee Democrat. "This is a way to get around each other, get the chemistry and just support a cause that is important... Times are changing in America. It's a different time right now, it's just so tough with everything going on. Personally, I just had a child and it's scary. How am I supposed to raise my child with everything going on in the world?"

The walk took place Saturday, with players marching from Doak Campbell Stadium to the state capitol building about 1.5 miles away.

At the start, Norvell addressed the crowd of hundreds who came out to show their support.

"A unified country shows the importance and necessity of all black lives and the importance of everybody being on that page and that message to unify together," Norvell said. "I'm grateful to see everybody out here be a part of this."

The march is one of several different demonstrations that have taken place on college campuses around the country with football players leading the way.

On June 3, players a the University of Missouri led a march through campus that ended with a voter registration event. Friday, players at the University of Texas sent a letter to administrators outlining demands that would help address racism at the school, while on Saturday, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney marched with his team through campus in South Carolina in the team-organized "A March for Change."

In Florida, FSU players were joined by people from nearby Florida A&M as well as Tallahassee Community College and the Tallahassee community at large.

"One of the proudest moments I've had was earlier this week," Norvell said. "When one of our football players took ownership and leadership in helping to organize this entire event and the encouragement and support of this team to include all of Tallahassee so that we could have a moment together showing our support for this entire community and this entire country with one unified voice and one unified action."

A Florida State spokesperson confirmed Tuesday that "at least one football player" tested positive for COVID-19, according to Wayne McGahee III off the Tallahassee Democrat.

"Players and staff members began testing for the coronavirus on May 20 in preparation for voluntary workouts resuming," McGahee relayed. "FSU began voluntary workouts June 1."

The NCAA Division I Council announced May 20 that basketball and football student-athletes would be allowed to participate in on-campus voluntary activities beginning June 1.

Earlier Tuesday, three of 60 University of Central Florida football players who had returned to campus were announced as having tested positive for COVID-19:

Positive COVID-19 cases were on the rise in Florida last week:

Identities of players who tested positive cannot be revealed because of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

The 2020 college football season is still scheduled to begin Aug. 29 despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd reported Monday that the NCAA is preparing to give programs at least six weeks to prepare, with team workouts proposed to begin July 13. 

Florida State athletic director David Coburn said Thursday that the football team met to address defensive tackle Marvin Wilson saying that head coach Mike Norvell lied about his response to George Floyd's death in Minneapolis last week. 

According to Ralph D. Russo of the Associated Press, Coburn called the meeting "open and candid," and added: "I believe we are moving on there."

On Tuesday, Norvell told The Athletic's Tashan Reed that he "went back and forth individually with each player" when asked how he addressed Floyd's death:

Wilson denied Norvell's statement and said he and his teammates would not participate in workouts "until further notice."

In response to Wilson's comments, Norvell released the following statement and apologized for his wording:

Norvell is set to enter his first season as the head coach at FSU after serving as Memphis' head coach from 2016-19.

Wilson took to Instagram on Thursday and posted a video in which he described the meeting. Wilson noted that the team decided to make sure all players are registered to vote in order for their voices to be heard and said they would be participating in fundraisers to help send black kids to college and help children in Tallahassee, Florida, as a whole.

Accompanying the video was a caption that read in part: "I appreciate Coach Norvell for encouraging me to use my platform and speak for what me and teammates believe in."

Floyd died last Monday in police custody when Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes during his arrest. Floyd said he couldn't breathe on multiple occasions, but Chauvin didn't move, and Floyd was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

Chauvin was arrested and has since been charged with second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. The other three officers on the scene were charged with aiding and abetting.

In the wake of Floyd's death, people across the United States have participated in protests against racial inequality and police brutality.

Wilson, who is set to enter his senior season in 2020, is arguably the Seminoles' biggest star on defense. Last season, he set career highs with 44 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and five sacks in just nine games.

After failing to win more than seven games in each of the past three seasons, Florida State hired Norvell, who went 38-16 in his four seasons at Memphis, including a 12-2 mark and a Cotton Bowl berth last season.

Florida State defensive tackle Marvin Wilson threatened a teamwide boycott of the FSU football program after Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell said he spoke with each player individually about racial injustice, a claim Wilson denies.

Tashan Reed, a former FSU beat writer who covers the NFL's Las Vegas Raiders for The Athletic, denied he misquoted Norvell.

At least two players, offensive tackle Darius Washington and defensive tackle Jamarcus Chatman, appeared to back up Wilson's remarks in their own social media posts.

Norvell, who was hired in December after four years leading the Memphis program, was speaking in response to a question from Reed about the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis Police custody and the subsequent worldwide protests.

The 38-year-old Texas native previously commented on the situation last Friday:

He also took part in this week's "#blackouttuesday" on social media aimed at supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.

Norvell previously worked as an assistant coach at Central Arkansas, his alma mater, Tulsa, Pittsburgh and Arizona State before taking over as the Tigers' head coach in 2016.

Wilson was named a first-team All-ACC selection for the 2019 season after he registered 44 total tackles, five sacks, four passes defended and a forced fumble across nine games as a junior.

Former Florida State offensive lineman Jauan Williams was arrested Wednesday in Tallahassee and charged with two counts of misdemeanor battery for allegedly hitting his then-girlfriend on two occasions in 2018, according to Terry Spencer of the Associated Press. 

According to court documents obtained by Spencer, the woman denied being hit at the time, but Tallahassee police said the case was "reopened last year after she contacted police saying Williams had sent her video of her having sex with another man." Police said "she provided photos of bruises and text messages between her and Williams that support her allegations that he did strike her."

"I didn't do anything. I have so much disbelief, so much confusion," Williams told Spencer, saying they argued but it never turned physical. "She is trying to kill my career."

He also said that it would have been obvious to authorities at the time if a 6'7" and 310-pound football player had struck her. 

The woman told police in 2018 that Williams had overturned chairs and tables during their argument, throwing items, but hadn't struck her. But Tallahassee police investigator Charzetta Felton-Stevens said that last year, the woman "told her that Williams had choked her, spit on her and dragged her across the floor."

Additionally, she "shared text messages between her and Williams from that 2018 night where she wrote that she lied to officers about bruises and cuts and hid marijuana from them. The woman texted Williams photos of bruises on her chin, her arms, torso and legs that she accused him of inflicting."

She also told Felton-Stevens that Williams had punched her in the face in a separate altercation.

Williams was released following his arrest on a $500 bond Thursday. 

He is currently in the process of transferring away from Florida State and is no longer a part of the team there, the school told Spencer.

Former Mississippi State defensive lineman Fabien Lovett announced his transfer to Florida State on Monday afternoon:

Lovett entered the transfer portal April 3:

The decision came after Mike Leach, hired as Mississippi State's head coach in January, tweeted a meme illustrating a woman knitting a noose for her husband. Lovett, per ESPN's Mark Schlabach, responded to Leach's tweet with "wtf."

According to Rashad Milligan of the Mississippi Clarion Ledger, Lovett was so upset that he sent a screenshot of Leach's tweet to his father, Abdual Lovett, who then decided Fabien should leave Mississippi State.

"I didn't feel comfortable with my son being down there with a guy like that from a leadership standpoint— that you can just throw anything out there," Abdual told Milligan. "I feel if he can do it, the kids are going to feel like they can do it."

Leach deleted the tweet and issued an apology:

"I just feel comfortable and that’s where I want to be," Lovett told Brendan Sonnone of Noles247, pertaining to why he chose Florida State. "I'm cool with [Mike] Norvell and he recruited me since high school. They're a bunch of cool people. I also know coach [Chris] Marve real well. Coach Odell [Haggins], we were just texting this morning and everything. I like him a lot, too."

Lovett decommitted from Mississippi State in January 2018 before signing a letter of intent with the Bulldogs in February 2018 and enrolling at the university in March 2018, per 247Sports. He was a 3-star recruit in the class of 2018 and received 10 offers, but Florida State was not among them.

Lovett appeared in two games as a true freshman in 2018 before making 11 appearances last season with one sack, 2.5 tackles for loss and 19 total tackles.

Florida State offensive lineman Andrew Boselli announced Friday that he has recovered from the coronavirus on the school's official website.

Boselli wrote that he was told by his doctor that he had a "mild" case of COVID-19, which included a 103-degree fever, chills and shortness of breath.

Boselli's father, former Jacksonville Jaguars offensive tackle Tony Boselli, was also diagnosed with the coronavirus. He spent three days in intensive care but has since recovered.

The 22-year-old Boselli noted that coronavirus made its way through his family with himself, his father, his mother and his brother all getting diagnosed. All of his family members have managed to make a full recovery.

Boselli also offered a word of warning to those who still aren't taking COVID-19 as seriously as they should:

"And, for me, I know I'm counting down the days until I can be around my coaches and teammates again, especially after the way they supported me over the last few weeks.

"But the only way for that to happen is listen to the experts and follow their guidance.

"Because even if this doesn't turn into a big thing for you, it could have an impact on your parents, your grandparents, or someone else's family.

"This is something that needs to be taken seriously. And if we all do our part, we can get through it."

Boselli added: "I promise, even if you're young and healthy, you do not want this virus."

While the 2020 college football season is supposed to start in late August, there are concerns that it will be shortened or perhaps even canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Spring practice is already being impacted by COVID-19, which means that teams could also be ill-prepared if and when the season does start.

If and when the 2020 season does begin, it will be Boselli's redshirt senior campaign. He figures to compete for a starting job  after appearing in 10 games and making two starts at center last season.

Former NFL safety Myron Rolle, who currently works as a neurosurgery resident at Massachusetts General Hospital, said the hospital is "struggling" to keep pace with the rapid spread of the coronavirus.

Rolle, a standout at Florida State before getting selected by the Tennessee Titans in the sixth round of the 2010 draft, discussed the COVID-19 situation with TMZ Sports in an interview released Saturday.

"We're right now struggling for bed space and personnel to take care of the surge and influx of COVID-19 patients that are just knocking down the door," Rolle said.

He added: "They've tried to recruit neurosurgery residents and nurse practitioners to sort of help out in the surge. So it's sort of an all-hands-on-deck deal right now."

Rolle spent two years with the Titans and joined the Pittsburgh Steelers for training camp in 2012 but didn't make the team's final roster. In 2013, he returned to FSU for medical school.

The 33-year-old Houston native told TMZ he doesn't regret giving up football to become a doctor.

"I would do it again 10 times out of 10," Rolle said.

The 2006 First Team Freshman All-American, who was selected as a Rhodes Scholar in 2008, also explained professional sports leagues may need an entire year before the coronavirus pandemic has been contained enough to resume play.

So far, the NFL hasn't announced any plans to alter the 2020 season. Commissioner Roger Goodell ordered teams to close facilities as of Wednesday, but free agency started on schedule March 18. The draft is still slated to take place April 23-25, though without fans or prospects in attendance.

Training camp typically begins in mid-July.