BulldogBear
08-14-2015, 12:33 PM
Perhaps no major college football program in the country has faced more off-field issues than Florida State in recent years, but the university is set to take steps to prevent that from becoming a hallmark of Seminoles football moving forward.
According to Tom D'Angelo of the Palm Beach Post, FSU is on the verge of instituting a mandatory class for student-athletes that educates them on how to handle themselves off of the field. The class will reportedly be available to non-athletes as well.
The course is scheduled to feature many guest speakers, which is something the Seminoles football team is already embracing during training camp. Among them are 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Tim Brown, former Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett and a team of Navy Seals.
Per D'Angelo, Florida State athletic director Stan Wilcox believes the class will have a positive influence on those who take it:
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We feel that when it's a course the individual has to invest more into it as opposed to when it's an expert coming in talking to the kids. They'll touch a good portion of them but there will be a time they won't get to some kids and then that person is gone. If it's a course that's required the kids have to be vested in it and they have to get more out of it.
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Despite Florida State's on-field success under head coach Jimbo Fisher over the past two years, including a national championship and a trip to the College Football Playoff, it has been a much different story away from the gridiron.
Former FSU and current Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston had myriad off-field issues, including a sexual assault accusation, a suspension for misconduct in the student union and an incident involving the theft of crab legs from a grocery store.
Things haven't gotten any better since as quarterback De'Andre Johnson was dismissed from the program for punching a woman at a bar, and running back Dalvin Cook was suspended after being charged with punching a woman as well, though his attorneys denied the accusations.
The Seminoles have gained an extremely poor reputation because of their players' constant legal issues.
Much of what Florida State has accomplished on the field has been overshadowed, but FSU is taking action to ensure that isn't the case moving forward.
Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.
According to Tom D'Angelo of the Palm Beach Post, FSU is on the verge of instituting a mandatory class for student-athletes that educates them on how to handle themselves off of the field. The class will reportedly be available to non-athletes as well.
The course is scheduled to feature many guest speakers, which is something the Seminoles football team is already embracing during training camp. Among them are 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Tim Brown, former Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett and a team of Navy Seals.
Per D'Angelo, Florida State athletic director Stan Wilcox believes the class will have a positive influence on those who take it:
?
We feel that when it's a course the individual has to invest more into it as opposed to when it's an expert coming in talking to the kids. They'll touch a good portion of them but there will be a time they won't get to some kids and then that person is gone. If it's a course that's required the kids have to be vested in it and they have to get more out of it.
?
Despite Florida State's on-field success under head coach Jimbo Fisher over the past two years, including a national championship and a trip to the College Football Playoff, it has been a much different story away from the gridiron.
Former FSU and current Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston had myriad off-field issues, including a sexual assault accusation, a suspension for misconduct in the student union and an incident involving the theft of crab legs from a grocery store.
Things haven't gotten any better since as quarterback De'Andre Johnson was dismissed from the program for punching a woman at a bar, and running back Dalvin Cook was suspended after being charged with punching a woman as well, though his attorneys denied the accusations.
The Seminoles have gained an extremely poor reputation because of their players' constant legal issues.
Much of what Florida State has accomplished on the field has been overshadowed, but FSU is taking action to ensure that isn't the case moving forward.
Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.