Mike Norvell explains tough environment in Florida State locker room

Mike Norvell had to do what no head coach wants to do on Sunday, and that was to fire several members of his staff.

In 2024's sports media environment, the firing of coordinators has become almost cliche at this point. It's easy to say that Norvell was simply scapegoating these coaches in order to save his own hide at Florida State. 

What we often forget, though, is that these are real people with real, human, connections that we're talking about. It's more than just chess pieces on a fictional board. These are people with lives, families and investments in the FSU program.

Norvell told the media recently that the firing of both coordinators, Alex Atkins and Adam Fuller, as well as receivers coach Ron Dugans was tough for his locker room to handle.

“Well I mean it’s a hard day. Any time there’s change, and you couple that with it’s change with, because of results. And our results on the field, there’s joint accountability to that. And it’s players, coaches, everybody involved. And it got real yesterday," Norvell said according to On3. "Three great men that have poured a lot into this program, their families. I love their families. They poured a lot into this program.”

The Florida State head coach even went as far to say that he believes he has a responsibility to the coaches he fired to turn things around in Tallahassee. They've invested a ton in his program, and he needs to do right by them by making the Seminoles a contender again. 

Ultimately, though, there's a championship standard at a program like FSU, and that standard wasn't being met.

“Our choice now is to go fight for our improvement, to believe in each other, to believe in what the standard and the expectation is to be a part of this program, because there will be no let-up and there will be no pull-back. It doesn’t matter who it is," Norvell said. "To be a part of this program there’s going to be one way that we’re operating moving forward and I can promise you it’s going to be with everything that I’ve got and all those that surround me.”

Right now, that's all talk, because Norvell is head coach of a team that's 1-9 and has lost six straight. 

 We'll have to wait and see if that talk turns into action.