Will the ‘Noles never learn?

Recent events have the CEO of 5W Public Relations in NYC, Ronn Torossian, wondering if maybe Jimbo Fisher may want to sit his team down and tell them what they should already know: “Don’t hit women.” Honestly, you would think they would know that by now. And, maybe they do … all of them, that is, except (former) FSU freshman QB De’Andre Johnson.

You’ve likely seen the video by now. Johnson walks up to the bar, he’s 19. He gets into a verbal altercation with a young woman seated at the bar. She raises a fist and attempts to strike Johnson. He cold cocks her with the hand that may never throw a pass in Division 1 college football. Such is the state of public relations and instant penalties in college football.

The incident, which was of course caught on videotape, took place on June 24. The next day every media outlet had it playing on nonstop loop. By that afternoon, Fisher had announced Johnson’s “indefinite suspension” and dismissed the QB from the team. Now Johnson is being charged with battery.

Johnson’s attorneys have released a statement saying Johnson has apologized and is deeply embarrassed. Then they doubled down and alleged the woman had shouted racial slurs at Johnson during the altercation. In some cases that might matter, but when a football player is caught on tape punching a coed in the face, folks don’t much care what she said to provoke that reaction.

It’s a lesson athletes need to learn. Times have changed. You may have gotten accustomed to a Free Everything Pass in high school, but those days are gone once you get to a top tier college. There is far too much money involved and attention attracted for the programs to tolerate these sorts of shenanigans anymore. Sure, players used to get away with this sort of thing. Those days are over, and everyone involved in college sports would do well to advise their players of this at any given opportunity. One mistake could mean their career.