After scuffle, Florida State football players get hand-in-hand lesson

Wayne McGahee III | Tallahassee Democrat

It's not often that you see two 6-foot-6-plus football players walking hand-in-hand off the field.

But that's what happened Tuesday at Florida State football practice.

It's one the ways that head coach Willie Taggart reminds the Seminoles they are family and teammates despite being on opposite sides of the line of scrimmage.

Tre Lawson — a 6-foot-6, 225-pound defensive end — and Jauan Williams -- a 6-foot-7, 295-pound offensive tackle — got into a dustup after a big play by linebacker Jaiden Woodbey at the end of practice.

Taggart sent one player off the field at first, but then called him back.

He had a better idea.

He made the two players hold hands as they walked off the field together.

Their teammates were smiling and laughing. The coaches were smiling and laughing. The security guards were smiling and laughing.

The only two people not smiling and laughing were Lawson and Williams, but surely it was lesson learned.

It's not the first time Taggart has made players hold hands around the football field.

When two players got into a scuffle in the spring, Taggart made the entire team run laps around the field holding hands because no one stepped in to stop it.

Taggart wants his program to be fun, and he wants to win. He also has clear expectations about accountability and discipline.

Tuesday was one of his ways of driving home the lesson of teamwork and that rules must be followed.

I doubt either player will forget that lesson any time soon.