Florida A&M University head football coach Willie Simmonssays he has always preached to his team about overcoming adversity. Tuesday’s media event was held in Alabama where the veteran coach was hit with the big question:
"What led to last week’s locker room fiasco?"
“Well, what we can say is that we’ve addressed the situation," said Simmons. "Right now, there is an internal investigation going on, and we can’t comment on any of the details but we are back to full activity. "Our guys are excited about the opportunity to go into training camp next week.”
FAMU’s Athletic Director lifted the team’s suspension a day before Simmons’ trip to Birmingham. The team was benched over a two-minute music video that was shot inside the campus fieldhouse last Friday.
The unauthorized video featured members of the team along with rapper, Jalen Taheen Foster, better known as Real Boston Richey. The artist could be seen wearing football equipment and Nike branded team apparel.
In a statement, Simmons said that the rap lyrics in the video were quote “not consistent with the university's core values.” That same video has been viewed over 500,000 times.
When asked if the incident could hinder the team’s success, Simmons said that he wants to stay focused on what’s ahead.
“The message that I have always given our football team is that we have to be able to control the controllables," said Simmons. "For us, that’s just the mental approach that we take every day.”
Eight of the Rattler’s 11-games will be televised nationally on the ESPN network including FAMU’s season opener against Jackson State University on September 3rd. The SWAC has picked the Rattlers to overtake JSU in the East.