Florida State defensive tackle Marvin Wilson, a team captain in 2019 and one of the Seminoles' best players, stated late Wednesday night that coach Mike Norvell lied in a statement to Tashan Reed of The Athletic when the coach claimed he had one-on-one conversations with every player on the FSU roster following the Memorial Day weekend death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
As such, Wilson said he and a number of Florida State players would boycott offseason workouts. However, in a video posted to his Instagram account Thursday afternoon, Wilson said the Seminoles were prepared to move forward after a team meeting was held earlier that day.
Citing inspiration from Colin Kaepernick -- an athlete who took a stand -- Wilson detailed three things that FSU has committed to do in order to progress together. The entire team will register to vote with an eye on the upcoming election, be active and involved in fundraising efforts for groups that help send black children to college, and put forward the same efforts toward helping kids around Tallahassee, Florida.
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"Took a stand, we got what we wanted and we are moving forward," Wilson wrote on Instagram. "I appreciate Coach Norvell for encouraging me to use my platform and speak for what me and [my] teammates believe in. Be the change that you need when you was growing up and help build black communities up and take back what is ours."
Norvell also released a statement Thursday about Wilson's actions and his communication with the Noles.
"I'm proud of Marvin for utilizing his platform to express his reaction to my comments in an earlier interview," Norvell said in a statement released on Twitter. "Last Saturday evening, I sent a text to each player individually to present an opportunity for open communication with me. Many members of our team chose to respond and have more in-depth conversations about issues and feelings. Marvin is right. It was a mistake to use the word "every." Particularly at this time, words are important, and I'm sorry."
Wilson did not walk back his comments regarding a statement Norvell provided to The Athletic.
"We've had a lot of open communication with our team, our players and our coaches," Norvell originally told The Athletic. "I went back and forth 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's a problem. And it's something that we have to stand together and we have to work to get it fixed. I'll continue to share with our guys the platform that they have and the opportunity that is there for them to make a difference, to be an influence and to be able to influence our country in a positive way by the overall mindset and approach of how we treat people to how we respond in situations."
Wilson claimed portions of that statement are untrue.
"Man this [poop emoji] did not happen mane. 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 #hunchoout," Wilson wrote in a tweet shared by other FSU players, including fellow defensive players Jamarcus Chatman and Isaiah Bolden.
Florida State began voluntary offseason workouts on Monday with players allowed back on campus following the shutdown of college sports amid the coronavirus pandemic.
CBS Sports did not receive comment from an FSU spokesman after reaching out for a response to Wilson's remarks and Norvell's statement.
Norvell and Florida State held a team meeting Thursday morning, and athletic director David Coburn discussed it during a Board of Trustees meeting that followed. "I want to tell you that Coach just finished a closed team meeting with the football team," he said, according to Warchant.com. "I'm told that the dialogue was open and very candid and that it went well. So I believe we're moving on there."
Protesters across the United States have taken to the streets over the last 10 days to demand justice, an end to police brutality and racial equality after George Floyd was killed while in police custody in Minneapolis over Memorial Day weekend. Former officer Derek Chauvin has been charged with second-degree murder, and the other three ex-officers on the scene have been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.
Wilson, a 6-foot-5, 310-pound defensive tackle from Houston, passed up a chance at the NFL to return to Florida State for his senior season. He was a semifinalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award given to the nation's best defensive player after recording 55 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and five sacks last season.
Florida State hired Norvell, 38, in December 2019 after he won the AAC Championship Game and led Memphis to a berth in the Cotton Bowl. He finished 38-15 in four seasons as the Tigers' coach and was considered one of the top hires of the 2020 coaching cycle.