Florida State DT Marvin Wilson Disputes Mike Norvell's Comments After George Floyd's Death

Florida State defensive tackle Marvin Wilson disputed comments from head coach Mike Norvell on Wednesday night after Norvell said he reached out to players individually following the death of George Floyd.

Norvell said he has engaged in "a lot of open communication with our team, our players and our coaches," following Floyd's death, per The Athletic's Tashan Reed. Norvell added he "went back and forth individually with every player this weekend."

Wilson pushed back against Norvell's comments, claiming every player received a "generated text." Wilson said there were no one-on-one conversations, adding he and his teammates, "will not be working out until further notice."

A slate of Florida State players shared Wilson's comments on Twitter, including cornerback Isaiah Bolden and defensive end Jamarcus Chatman.

Florida State athletic director David Coburn held a meeting with the team on Thursday, according to The Osceola's Bob Ferrante. Linebacker Kevon Glenn subsequently tweeted, "we love our coach and we are together as a team."

Wilson also released a video on Instagram on Thursday following his comments regarding Norvell. Wilson said his Seminoles teammates "took a stand [and] got what we wanted," adding that he "appreciate[s] Norvell for encouraging me to use my platform and speak for what me and teammates believe in."

Norvell apologized for his remarks in a statement released on Thursday afternoon. 

"I'm proud of Marvin for utilizing his platform to express his reactions to my comments in an earlier interview," Norvell wrote. "I sent a text to each player individually to present an opportunity for open communication with me. Many members of our team chose to respond and have more in-depth conversations about the issues and feelings. Marvin is right. It was a mistake to use the word "every."

Floyd died in Minneapolis police custody on May 25. He was stopped by officer Derek Chauvin, who placed his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes. Floyd can be heard on video saying, "I can't breathe," numerous times before his death. 

Chauvin was fired and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.  The murder charge was elevated to second-degree murder on Wednesday, and former Minnesota PD officers Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng are each facing charges of aiding and abetting murder for their role in Floyd's death.

Norvell was hired by Florida State in December 2019 after four seasons in Memphis. He replaced former head coach Willie Taggart, who was fired in November 2019 after just 21 games in Tallahassee.