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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

FSU fan fired after posting coach Willie Taggart should be lynched

In this Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018 photo, Florida State head coach Willie Taggart disagrees with the referee during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Clemson in Tallahassee, Fla. (Mark Wallheiser / Associated Press)
By Chaunte’L Powell Orlando Sentinel

A Facebook post suggesting Florida State head coach Willie Taggart should be lynched has cost a Seminoles fan his job.

“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.”

State attorney Jack Campbell also confirmed his office received word of the post Saturday 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.”

The investigation is still in the early stages, and Campbell could not confirm whether Tom Shand was the person who wrote the comments posted using a Facebook account featuring his name.

Under a post in the Facebook group Florida State Football, a meme depicting Taggart being lynched with the words, “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing your rep” was added to a thread of comments.

When another fan in the same thread asked if the person was serious, the user replied via the Shand account, “I’m dead (expletive) serious. This is how far I’m willing to go to get rid of this clown!!!”

The post has since been deleted but not before fans saved screenshots of it and called for Shand to be fired from his job.

His Facebook name was used to locate what appeared to be his LinkedIn account, which indicated he worked for Hilton Grand Vacations in Orlando, Florida. With that information, FSU fans began tagging the company’s Twitter account in posts Sunday, suggesting Shand face consequences for the Taggart comments.

The accounts under Shand’s name featured extensive posts about Florida State football and a LinkedIn page under the same name indicated he was a student at FSU from 1997-2000 before graduating from Purdue University Global with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.

Florida State officials issued a statement Sunday rebuking the post.

“A recent racist social media post aimed at our football coach is ignorant and despicable,” Florida State president John Thrasher said in a statement released by the school. “I speak for the entire FSU community in expressing our disgust and extreme disappointment, and I am glad the state attorney is investigating. Coach Taggart has our full support and as true Seminoles know, he is a respected member of the FSU family.”