Fisher has no regrets about spat with fan
TALLAHASSEE — Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher never thought he would hear a Seminoles fan outlandishly ridicule the team’s coaches after a demoralizing loss like the one the Seminoles suffered to Louisville last week.
On Monday, two days after the 31-28 defeat in Doak Campbell Stadium, Fisher said he has “not one bit” of regret for his participation in a postgame verbal altercation with a fan and continued to offer strong support for his coaching staff despite a disappointing 2-4 start to the 2017 season.
“No, not one bit, because I don’t expect that from any of our fans in our stadium,” Fisher said when asked during his weekly press conference before FSU prepares for its road game at Boston College (4-4, 2-3 ACC) on Friday night.
“We’re walking off the field, and I’m walking off the field. And I’m looking at the hurt and watching our kids cry. And I look at the coaches, and how hurt they were. And coaches’ kids are standing right there by the tunnel, and listening to that guy. …
“I understand [fans are] hurt … But to hear one of our fans reaching over and saying that, about our coaches in front of their own kids, and in front of their own players, I don’t [regret it] one bit. That doesn’t belong there.”
Fisher said while he appreciated the fans’ passion and love for Florida State, the time was not appropriate to make comments about the desire for new coaches.
The Seminoles lost their second of three homes games this season in heartbreaking fashion after true freshman James Blackman fumbled a handoff in the final minutes, leading to a game-losing field goal by Louisville.
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FSU, which also fell in the final seconds at home to Miami on Oct. 7, has lost three straight games at Doak Campbell Stadium for the first time since 1974.
Fisher offered enthusiastic support for members of his coaching staff, indicating there will not be a coaching change during the season, but he will still evaluate what adjustments he needs to make to the program at season’s end.
“We’re coaching a season. Our coaches are right there, three plays away,” Fisher said. “We’ve done it before, and we’ll continue to do it the rest of the year.
“I have total confidence in our coaches, and what we can do, and the situation we put them in. We have to learn how to coach 3-5 plays better, and get [the players] to understand how to play better.”
The Seminoles are at 2-4 for the first time since 2009, Bobby Bowden’s final season of his 34-year tenure with the team before Fisher, his offensive coordinator, assumed the head coaching position in 2010.
The Seminoles, with five games remaining on the regular-season schedule unless FSU reschedules a canceled game against Louisiana-Monroe, could also be in danger of not being bowl eligible for the first time in 36 seasons.
Teams need six wins to be bowl eligible, although teams with five wins and high Academic Progress Rates have been awarded spots in bowls the past few seasons.
Fisher wants his team to never forget the Louisville defeat, a game he claims he will “remember forever” in hopes of gaining motivation and the desire to improve.
“I’ll be honest, we feel awful. There’s no easy way to say that loss is going to go away. That loss ain’t going away. You have to use it,” Fisher said at the opening of his press conference.
“It eats at us. It makes our coaches feel awful. It makes our players feel awful. Our organization feels awful. Just like the fans do. … But what you have to do is take those adverse moments and learn from them. Learning what they feels like and let them be the ingredients that help in your development as a player, as a coach, and everything you do.”