Former Florida State Offensive Lineman Josh Ball Will Not Return After Suspension
Former Florida State offensive lineman Josh Ball will not return to the university after being suspended in May, according to since-deleted tweets that were saved by the Orlando Sentinel's Katherine Wright.
Ball was reportedly attempting to re-enroll even though Florida State had found him guilty of dating violence last spring.
"I have made the determination to stay closer to family and not return to Florida State even though I have been cleared and in good standing to do so by the Florida State administration," Ball wrote in the tweets. "I want to thank the FSU coaching staff for working with me and I vary [sic] much valued my time at Florida State University."
He continued: "While I would love to come back to Tallahassee, at this time, I have decided to stay closer to home and focus on being the best football player, student athlete, and person that I can be. Forever thank you to everyone who has reached out with supportive messages and prayers. You truly don't know the meaning of family and friendship until you have been put in the untenable position I have been forced in. I am an advocate of women's rights, equality, and due process & I always will be."
Ball was suspended by a school judicial panel in May after being found responsible for dating violence against a female FSU student. He was also removed from the Seminoles' roster.
After reports surfaced last week that he was attempting to return to Florida State, the victim addressed the news in an Instagram story.
"I am trying to put this behind me," she wrote. "But I will not be silenced and intimidated by this repeat sexual and physical abuser. His reprehensible behavior is public record. For Willie Taggart to even consider bringing him back on campus is a physical threat to me and any other woman at FSU. He's been given multiple chances and was enabled by the previous coaching staff who even conspired to cover up his bahavior and blame me. Trust me when I say FSU does not want to repoen this wound."
Ball started nine games for the Seminoles in 2017 and participated in spring practice of 2018 before the suspension. Ball transferred to Butler County Community College in El Dorado, Kan., to play for the Grizzlies this season, but a source told The Athletic that he had planned to move back to Tallahassee to participate in spring practice.
In order to rejoin the team, the university would have to let Ball re-enroll in January. In his since-deleted tweets, Ball claimed he had been cleared to do so by the Florida State administration.
He reached an agreement with the woman in a petition for protection against dating violence in November 2017. The agreement dictates that Ball must stay at least 500 feet away from her residence, her parent's residence and her church. He also had to stay at least 100 feet from her school, place of employment, school or car, reports The Athletic.
The injunction mentioned 11 incidents between the two, including three that included physical contact. Ball allegedly slapped her in the face after breaking her cell phone and in a separate incident pushed her into a closet after getting angry that he did not text her back quickly. He also threw her to the floor once after claiming she didn't spend enough time with him during his concussion recovery, causing her to cut her knee, per The Athletic.
