*The man responsible for a racist Facebook post suggesting FSU coach Willie Taggart should be lynched has been fired from his job at Hilton Grand Vacations, the company said in a statement Monday.
Social Media user Tom Shand allegedly wrote the offending comments posted using a Facebook account featuring his name.
Florida State president John Thrasher condemned the post on Sunday, calling it “ignorant and despicable,” and said the FSU attorney is investigating.
“Our concern regarding this situation has been a top priority. The person responsible for posting this information has been terminated,” Hilton Grand Vacations spokeswoman Lauren George said via email Monday. “His behavior was in violation of multiple company policies and the furthest example from being a reflection of our company’s values.”
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State attorney Jack Campbell also confirmed his office received word of the post and is looking into the matter.
“The nature of anybody being lynched in the Second Judicial Circuit is of grave concern to this office,” Campbell said in an interview with the Sentinel. “Any time a threat or lynching or any other things like that are made against one in our community, we’re going to look into it and if there’s a crime there, we’re going to prosecute it.”
As reported by nydailynews.com, the racist post was made in a Florida State fan group on Facebook on Saturday, shortly after the Seminoles lost to rival Florida 41-14 to finish a 5-7 season. The meme showed Taggart’s head edited onto an image of a man being lynched with the words “Believe in Something Even If It Means Sacrificing Your Rep,” referring to the Nike ad campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick.
Taggart, the first black football head coach in Florida State history, was hired last December from Oregon.
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