When defending a championship of any kind, motivation seems to be the biggest uphill challenge for any potential repeat champions. Hunger is always an issue. Will the team be willing to work just as hard as it did a year ago? Will the words of the coaching staff have just as much meaning as it did a year ago?
At Florida State, star defensive back Jalen Ramsey doesn’t have a motivation problem. But it seems like he may be a bit too enthusiastic (for lack of a better word) in preseason workouts.
On Sunday, Ramsey was involved in a series of physical altercations and he saved the best for last. Ramsey knocked Heisman trophy winning quarterback Jameis Winston to the ground and that was all Seminoles head coach Jimbo Fisher could take.
Fisher was furious… and so were the fans who yelled at Ramsey as he exited Doak Campbell Stadium after being kicked out of practice.
Photo: FSU head coach Jimbo Fisher alongside Heismann trophy winning quarterback Jameis Winston
Photo source: Instagram
Ramsey is admittedly one of Fisher’s best players. He is considered one of the leaders of the team despite only being a sophomore. Last season, Ramsey, who started all 14 games for the national champion Seminoles, won multiple freshman All-American honors.
Was this an attempt to throw his weight around and be recognized for who he is or who he may become? Regardless of his reasoning, you just don’t throw your star quarterback to the ground in a practice in early August… or even late December for that matter.
How angry was Fisher? Well, he was still visibly upset when he spoke about the incident after practice.
“It ain’t typical. It’s not what we’re going to do,” said Fisher. “He was told not to do something and he defied me. So we’ll judge from there. And I’m very upset with him. It’s lack of leadership. It’s lack of character.
“He’ll decide if he wants to play at Florida State.”
Although Jalen Ramsey was kicked out of practice Sunday for hard hits and physical altercations, he has not been the only one. And he most likely won’t be the last.
“They’re gonna do things my way,” Fisher said, “or they ain’t gonna play here.”