Florida State defensive tackle Marvin Wilson, one of the top prospects for the 2021 NFL Draft, is alleging first-year Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell lied regarding communication between Norvell and the team about the killing of George Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis police. Wilson also said he and his teammates will not take part in workouts until further notice.
On Tuesday evening, Tashan Reed of The Athletic published comments from Norvell on social media that read, in part, "We've had a lot of open communication with our team, our players and our coaches. I went back and forth with every player individually this weekend."
However, in a tweet posted early Thursday morning, Wilson said such conversations never took place and that players received only a text message from the coach to the whole group.
FSU defensive end Jamarcus Chatman appeared to post support for Wilson's stance, as did offensive lineman Darius Washington. Linebacker Kevon Glenn expressed support for Norvell on Thursday via Twitter, writing, in part, "We love our coach and we are together as a team." FSU had just begun voluntary team workouts, following nearly three months off due to COVID-19, on Monday.
Floyd, a black man, died when a white Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes on May 25. His death has led to nationwide protesting in the days since.
Wilson (6-foot-5, 310 pounds), a team captain in 2019, earned first-team All-ACC honors last season despite playing only nine games before suffering a season-ending hand injury. Wilson told The Tallahassee Democrat this spring that he received a first-round grade from the NFL Draft Advisory Board for the 2020 draft, but decided instead to return to FSU for his senior season. The Houston native recorded five sacks among 8.5 tackles for loss as a junior, and was a five-star recruit in high school.
Norvell was hired by FSU in December to replace Willie Taggart, and had previously coached Memphis, where he led the Tigers to four bowl appearances in four years.
Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter @ChaseGoodbread.
