Woman recants, apologizes for accusation that led to Florida State QB Francois’ dismissal

The woman whose accusations of domestic abuse against Florida State quarterback Deondre Francois led to his dismissal from the team over the weekend said on social media on Monday that he did not strike her as she had alleged, and she apologized for “ultimately diminishing his character.”

Going public with the accusation was intended to discourage him from future bad activity, she said, saying she wanted “to scare him not to ruin anything he had going for hisself (sic).”

The woman, whose name was not revealed but who identified herself as Francois’ girlfriend, said in the apology, which was posted on the same Instagram account as her previous accusation, that Francois “has never struck me with his hands or fist,” though she said he verbally abused her.

In a video she posted on the Instagram account on Saturday night but has since been deleted, the camera is pointed at the ceiling, and a woman is heard asking the man to stop hitting her.

“Throw it again so I can beat your ass,” the man says. “… F– you, I’m going to hit you in your face every f–ing time.”

The woman wrote the following to accompany the video:

“For 2 years I have been in a domestic situation with (Francois). I thought I loved him and thought he could change for the better but it has gotten worse. I lost my first child because of all of the beating and I suffer from post Partum (sic) depression. The situation is taking a toll on my life. …”

The woman’s apology was also deleted from the Instagram account.

Florida State coach Willie Taggart on Sunday said that on Saturday night, he “informed Deondre Francois that he is no longer a member of the Florida State football program. As we build a new culture and foundation for FSU Football, we have high expectations for all of our student-athletes and we will not shy away from those high standards of conduct. We are moving forward as a program.”

Francois had been accused of domestic violence before. In the previous case from January 2018, a pregnant woman who shared a home with him said he threw her to the ground. Because of conflicting statements, no arrest was made.

It was unknown whether the two allegations came from the same woman.

Francois came to Florida State as a four-star recruit in the Class of 2015. He redshirted that season and became the starting quarterback in 2016. In the first game of the 2017 season, against Alabama, he sustained a broken kneecap.

He struggled in 2018 as he got used to Taggart’s offense and was expected to compete in the upcoming season with junior James Blackman, who replaced Francois in 2017.

In his Florida State career, Francois completed 58 percent of his passes for 6,291 yards with 36 touchdowns and 21 interceptions. He added eight rushing touchdowns.

–Field Level Media