‘We’re gonna try to be thorough but swift in how we deal with this’: The latest on FAMU football
Florida A&M football head coach Willie Simmons announced Friday that he was suspending all football activities following the release of rapper Real Boston Richey’s “Send A Blitz” music video. Richey is seen wearing licensed school attire in the video, which was shot in the team’s locker room without permission.
The team is due to begin practicing Aug. 4 and play its season opener against Jackson State on Sep. 3 in the Orange Blossom Classic at Hard Rock Stadium.
In an exclusive interview with the Herald on Sunday, Simmons said that the good news is that their first game is still more than a month away, giving them plenty of time to sort through all that has happened and move forward.
“Adversity happens in every team,” Simmons said. “How we deal with it, and how we move forward from it is going to ultimately determine our success. And that’s our focus… once it’s resolved, let’s put it to bed and let’s move on to the next thing, which eventually will be September 3 against Jackson state. That’s what we’re going to keep our attention focused on.”
During the weekend, Simmons told the Herald that he has had “numerous talks with members of the team” and his leadership council and that a full team meeting is scheduled Monday.
“We’re gonna try to be thorough but swift in how we deal with this, because obviously we don’t want this [to be] something that’s lingering and taking the focus away from what we anticipate being a special season,” Simmons said.
With this latest event, FAMU football has now experienced controversy before the season’s opening for the second summer in a row. Last year, just a day prior to the team’s Week Zero opener versus North Carolina, 26 players were found to be ineligible.
In the video, Richey, who’s real name is Jalen Foster, sports a FAMU Nike polo shirt and, in some clips, a team helmet. Additionally, other FAMU players are seen in the background of the video in the locker room, but as of Sunday, they have not been identified.
This isn’t the rapper’s first encounter with the team. Last season, the Tallahassee native performed before FAMU’s homecoming game against the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff and even led the team out of the tunnel.
As of Sunday afternoon, the music video has amassed more than 362,000 views on YouTube.
In his statement, Simmons said that an investigation will be launched soon to identify who allowed the use of not only the team’s athletic facility, but also licensed gear that “potentially violates university branding and licensing agreements.”
Until Simmons and the administration could determine who was involved in the video shoot, the team facility, weight room, and access to the stadium field were all off limits to all players, he told the Associated Press. The only exception is for players who require medical attention from doctors and athletic trainers.
The video was made known to FAMU president Larry Robinson, who said in a statement that it “does not represent our core values, nor our commitment to “Excellence with Caring” in all aspects of the University, including athletics.”
FAMU athletic director Tiffani-Dawn Sykes also issued a statement Sunday morning.
“I do not have all the information I need to make a complete and informed statement about the situation at this time,” Sykes said in the statement. “What I do know is that what is portrayed in the video is inconsistent with my expectations of FAMU student-athletes. While I am disappointed, this isolated incident does not define FAMU athletics.
She added: “I am committed to working with campus partners to gather as much information as possible, as quickly as possible. I support Coach Simmons’ swift disciplinary action and am committed to educating our student-athletes so that missteps like this don’t happen in the future.”
The 12 teams of the Southwestern Athletic Conference are expected to take part in the SWAC football media day on Tuesday in Birmingham, Alabama. Simmons said that FAMU still intends to go despite this unforeseen circumstance.
Both defensive back Javan Morgan and quarterback Jeremy Moussa are anticipated to participate in the SWAC media day and don’t seem to have been a part of the music video, according to FAMU sports department spokesperson Josh Padilla, who told the AP.
Many lessons can be taken from this situation, according to Simmons, who stated that he and his administration will discuss them all with the squad on Monday and in the coming weeks.
“I think every situation is an opportunity to learn,” Simmons said. “Our No. 1 role as coaches is to teach and so this will be a teachable moment. There are a lot of takeaways from it. But I just want to keep in perspective that our job is to teach these young men an appropriate way to govern themselves. We didn’t do that in this situation, and so it’s an opportunity for me to teach them how to do that.”