Letter to the Editor Wonders Why Florida State President Never Publicly Criticized Willie Taggart But Quickly Spoke Out Against Lynching Comment
By Jason Lisk
Last weekend, a Florida State fan posted a picture on social media of a lynching with head coach Willie Taggart’s face on it. That person was fired from his job after it received public attention, including a response from the University.
1/2 A recent racist social media post aimed at our football coach is ignorant and despicable. I speak for the entire FSU community in expressing our disgust and extreme disappointment, and I am glad the state attorney is investigating.
— Florida State University (@floridastate) November 25, 2018
That in turn has spawned this doozy of a Letter to the Editor from Bill Duffack of Tallahassee:
" Poor preparation, lack of discipline on the field, record-setting performances by opponents, and declining attendance marred Coach Taggart’s first season as head coach. At no point during the season did university President John Thrasher offer criticism or express concern about the direction of the program. However, President Thrasher quickly expressed his outrage after the game about a ridiculous social media post that depicted “lynching” Coach Taggart. While the post is despicable, the university initially played the race card last December by proudly announcing FSU had hired its first African-American head football coach. The university cares more about Coach Taggart’s race than its fans do. "
Yes, the real issue here is the University President speaking out unequivocally about unacceptable and racist behavior from a fan, but not trashing the results of a football game more forcefully. And how dare the University start all this by playing the race card and hiring the first African-American coach in school history.