FSU Football Releases Statement Begging Public to "Stop Being So Mean"
It has been one absolute travesty after another with the Seminoles this season. With a new coach and COVID-19, we started at a major disadvantage this year. No one expected them to rule the field, but the team proceeded to suck worse than anyone thought possible. To be a Florida State football player in recent years, you have to have extra thick skin, and usually, it doesn’t get to them. In recent weeks, FSU decided to try out the “can’t lose if you don’t play” strategy, causing good old Dabo Swinney to flip out like a baby in an interview. His scathing comments in the news have left shockwaves of hate to flood social media and the players have finally had enough of getting their feelings hurt.
“It has to stop. Every day I go on social media and all I see is people telling me I suck,” said Zach Stone, a giant linebacker, with tears streaming down his face. “I’ve only played one game this season because I missed a few when I caught the virus and was on the bench for the rest, but I’m still getting daily hate online from fans. It’s not just me, the whole team is in emotional shambles because of this. We are really down right now, so we are begging everyone to please stop being so mean.”
“It’s so easy for people to forget that underneath the helmets and pads are real human people. People that have real human feelings just like you or me. Backed by a lot more money and free sports merchandising, sure, but people nonetheless,” said Jeff Sanchez, a PhD candidate in sports medicine and red-shirt senior. “The discourse online recently has been extremely toxic. We used to be encouraged to stop bullying when we saw it, but now the bullying is what’s being encouraged. This statement from the team only reinforces that a culture shift must take place. This year has been terrible for everyone; the team needs to be shown some mercy during this hard time just as much as any of us do.”
While Dabo still refuses to stop calling FSU “scaredy cats” on television, the cold sadness that fills the Seminole’s locker room remains. The problem with asking people on the internet to stop doing something is that it usually just makes them want to do that thing more. They will forever be relentless as long they believe there are no repercussions for what they type from behind a screen. This season is one all fans would like to forget about and they probably will by next year when the team somehow sucks even worse.