Florida State apologizes for MLK graphic

The Florida State football recruiting department issued an apology Monday for posting a Photoshopped image on Twitter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that included the team’s slogan, “Do something,” on the holiday that honors the late civil rights leader.

The tweet, which was removed after it received severe backlash, showed King wearing a football glove and appearing to do the tomahawk chop. It included the words “Happy MLK day! #GoNoles #DoSomething #MLK2019,” and at the bottom was the MLK quote, “If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.”

The account (@FSU_Recruiting), which brands itself as “the official page of Florida State football recruiting” and has about 37,000 followers, provided a written statement less than an hour after the original tweet was posted:

“In a well-intentioned effort to recognize Martin Luther King, Jr. on this special day, a member of our recruiting staff created a graphic using one of Dr. King’s quotes — ‘If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.’ The quote resonated with our program’s Do Something mantra,” the tweet read.

“However, in our attempt to more closely connect the message to FSU, we foolishly posted a graphic that was not in line with our intent. We are sorry for missing the mark in our attempt to celebrate Dr. King’s legacy.”

Martin Luther King Jr. Day, recognized as a federal holiday, was first observed on Jan. 20, 1986, and is celebrated annually on the third Monday of January. King was born on Jan. 15, 1929.

–Field Level Media