FSU's Wilson: Quote Attributed to Mike Norvell a Lie, Team on Strike

Decorated defensive tackle Marvin Wilson says that as a result of the misinformation, the 'Noles have ceased workouts.

Florida State again dominated sports coverage early on Thursday morning-- but not necessarily for the right reasons. The Seminoles' best player, Marvin Wilson, took to Twitter to dispute a quotation attributed to FSU head coach Mike Norvell. 

The original tweet came from Tashan Reed, a former Florida State beat reporter who now covers the Las Vegas Raiders. But rather than paraphrasing, you can read the exchange below.

Man this 💩 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 https://t.co/6Uuy6K7Eu3

— Big Marv 🦦 (@marvinwilson21) June 4, 2020

The first thing to know here is what Reed asked Norvell to elicit this reported response. 

I asked, given the racial construction of the roster, whether #FSU 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?" in the wake of the killing of George Floyd. That was the answer. https://t.co/2FkK4vDLlL

— Tashan Reed (@tashanreed) June 4, 2020

The next possibility is that Reed misquoted Norvell, but he addressed that as well, along with communicating to me that this was not a misquote. 

That's how I transcribe my interviews. I used the TapeACall service as usual. I let a team spokesman know I'd be recording the interview before it began as a courtesy. There wasn't any malicious intent behind it. I do so to ensure that I quote subjects accurately. https://t.co/cV9igzXF05

— Tashan Reed (@tashanreed) June 4, 2020

Some fans took issue with Reed's coverage of Florida State in the past, but I've no reason to think he would fabricate these comments; he's a professional, and that kind of mistake can follow you around, regardless of which team you're covering. Plus, why would Wilson react as he did if this were reported falsely?

There's also the chance that, perhaps, Wilson somehow misinterpreted the quote-- although his response seems rather clear, as does his outrage, that of his teammates, and his insistence that, as a result, the 'Noles "will not be working out until further notice."

So what of his teammates? Even in the middle of the night, several fellow Seminoles weighed in. Emoji interpretation is far from a hard science, but here are the early responses, which don't exactly seem to feature much dissent from Wilson's sentiment. 

‼️‼️ https://t.co/5W5bPZ0f5a

— Darius Washington (@DariusW76) June 4, 2020

We're sure that more will develop on this story as more information becomes available, and we'll keep you abreast of the situation.