Florida State dismisses Deondre Francois after violent video surfaces
A troubling video is the last straw for Deondre Francois at Florida State, as the quarterback has been dismissed from the football program.
Deondre Francois was on track to succeed Jameis Winston as the next star quarterback at Florida State, earning ACC Rookie of the Year honors in 2016. But he suffered a season-ending knee injury in the 2017 season opener, did not play particularly well last season and he has now been dismissed from the Seminoles football program.
In December, rumors surrounded Francois either transferring or declaring for April’s NFL draft. He took to Twitter to dismiss the transfer talk, and on Jan. 9 it was announced he would return to Tallahassee after his NFL draft grade presumably (and unsurprisingly) came back dismal.
On Saturday a video surfaced on social media from Francois’ girlfriend, with clear audio of a fight between a couple and what sounded like someone being hit. It’s NSFW, and can be seen here.
A statement from Seminoles’ head coach Willie Taggart has been released by the school.
"Last night, I informed Deondre Francois that he is no longer a member of the Florida State football program,” “As we build a new culture and foundation for FSU Football, we have high expectations for all of our student-athletes and we will not shy away from those high standards of conduct. We are moving forward as a program."
Moving forward on the field means James Blackman is now the clear favorite to be the Seminoles’ starting quarterback next season. He started most of the 2017 season in Francois’ place as a true freshman, throwing 18 touchdown passes with 11 interceptions for former coach Jimbo Fisher, then appeared in four games as the No. 2 quarterback last season. Blackman was also reportedly considering a transfer, but ultimately decided to stay at Florida State.
The breaking news that @FSUFootball dismissed QB Deondre Francois is not shocking to anyone that spent any amount of time around the program the past few years. Domestic assault charges aside, I cannot recall scouting a QB with more football character red flags than Francois.
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) February 3, 2019
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This abuse allegation is not the first off-field trouble Francois had at Florida State. In April of 2018, he was suspected by police of possessing of marijuana with intent to distribute. In January of 2018, he was cleared of another alleged domestic violence incident that appears to be with the same girlfriend as the current allegation.