State attorney investigating racist social media post toward Florida State coach Willie Taggart

Nick Bromberg

·College football and motorsports writer

26 November 2018 at 7:30 pm

Florida State finished 5-7 in Willie Taggart’s first season. (AP Photo/Chris Seward, File)

UPDATE 6:30 p.m. ET Nov. 26

The man who made a racist social media post against Willie Taggart has been fired.

Hilton said Tom Shand, who worked at Hilton Grand Vacations, said he had been removed from his job following his actions after Florida State’s loss to Florida on Saturday.

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Florida State president John Thrasher issued a statement of support for coach Willie Taggart on Sunday afternoon following a racist social media post against the coach.

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Thrasher didn’t point to a specific user or post in his statement and said the state attorney was investigating it. Florida State lost to Florida on Saturday to finish the 2018 season at 5-7.

1/2 A recent racist social media post aimed at our football coach is ignorant and despicable. I speak for the entire FSU community in expressing our disgust and extreme disappointment, and I am glad the state attorney is investigating.
— Florida State University (@floridastate) November 25, 2018

2/2 Coach Taggart has our full support and as true Seminoles know, he is a respected member of the FSU family. — FSU President John Thrasher
— Florida State University (@floridastate) November 25, 2018

Screenshots of a fan’s social media post started circulating around Twitter on Saturday night. A purported FSU fan posted a picture of a lynching as a meme involving Taggart in his apparent and disgusting desire to have the first-year coach fired.

According to the Tallahassee Democrat, the state attorney’s office is investigating a post made from the Facebook account of a man named Tom Shand.

Second Judicial Circuit State Attorney Jack Campbell said his office was made aware of the post on Saturday and launched an investigation along with the Leon County Sheriff’s Office and FSU Police Department. Campbell confirmed his office was investigating the Facebook post on an account bearing the name Tom Shand.

Part of the investigation is determining where the post originated and what venue prosecution would take place in.

“Any threat of violence to anybody in this community – he’s a father, a husband and a member of our community – we’re going to investigate it to the fullest extent possible.”

Taggart, who spent the 2017 season at Oregon, was hired to replace Jimbo Fisher after Fisher left for Texas A&M. Saturday’s loss meant Florida State broke a 36-season streak of bowl appearances. The Seminoles had last missed a bowl game in 1981 under coach Bobby Bowden.

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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.

Follow @NickBromberg on Twitter