FSU President John Thrasher responds to racist social media posts
Florida State President John Thrasher came to the support of FSU coach Willie Taggart after racially charged social media posts made their rounds after the Seminoles' 41-14 loss to in-state rival Florida Saturday.
"A recent racist social media post aimed at our football coach is ignorant and despicable," Thrasher said in a statement, which FSU announced via Twitter Sunday.
"I speak for the entire FSU community in expressing our disgust and extreme disappointment, and I am glad the state attorney is investigating. Coach Taggart has our full support and as true Seminoles know, he is a respected member of the FSU family."
Thrasher did not identify a specific social media post in the tweet.
One fan posted a racist photo depicting Taggart with a noose around his neck with the caption "Believe in something even if it means sacrificing your rep" on a FSU fan page on Facebook.
When called out on the post, the poster added "I'm dead F****** serious. This is how far I'm willing to go to get rid of this clown."
Taggart is the first black head coach in FSU history.
The Seminoles finished the year 5-7 in Taggart's first year as FSU's coach, which ended FSU's 36-year consecutive bowl streak and 41-year consecutive winning seasons streak.
