Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
FSU’s Willie Taggart asks fans not to give up on team
TALLAHASSEE — Florida State coach Willie Taggart is asking fans not give up on the struggling Seminoles.
Taggart was lauded for the jolt of energy he brought to the program after landing what he called his dream job usually speaks without the help of notes, but the coach opened his Monday press conference reading a statement that address vocal fan discontent following the team’s poor performances during a 1-2 start to the season.
“To piggyback on my comments after the game on Saturday, our fans have every right to have high expectation of our program and I can assure you that no one has higher expectations than I do,” Taggart said.
Shortly after FSU’s loss at Syracuse, four GoFundMe accounts asking for donations to buyout Willie Taggart’s contract were created. Mia Khalifa, a former adult film star who tweeted about FSU’s recruitment of running back Cam Akers and Georgia quarterback Justin Fields, created the first account that went viral.
“Please donate to my GoFundMe if you can,” Khalifa tweeted. “It’s an emergency, we should all do our part to help.”
In response, a GoFundMe account was created Monday asking FSU not to fire Taggart so early in his tenure. The post read, “Like a lot of reasonable FSU fans I think the GoFundMe projects trying to buy out Willie Taggart's football contract at Florida State are ridiculous and embarrassing.”
Taggart said he understands why fans are disappointed, acknowledging their anger.
“We have a proud history and tradition of football at FSU, and it is on our shoulders to carry on the torch. And our fans, students, alumni, former players deserve a team that plays better than what we have so far this season,” Taggart said while reading his statement.
“Our program has some tremendous young men who are determined to get it fixed and who are committed to turning this around and a group of coaches who are looking at everything, including ourselves.”
When Taggart was asked whether he understood why fans were discouraged after the Seminoles lost the season opener against Virginia Tech, he said he expected those emotions.
“You're asking if I understand that? Come on, of course I understand that,” he said. “When you lose, everybody's upset. No one's more upset than I am. I'm upset, too, and I'm upset that we didn't get it done for our fan base and we didn't get it done for each other.”
Taggart said Monday he had watched the Syracuse game five times since Saturday seeking answers.
“We have spent the last 48 hours as a team identifying areas to improve in, self-evaluating what we do, how we do it, working hard in practice and with renewed purpose. I am confident that we will get it done,” Taggart said.