Florida State signee Matthew Thomas says mom made him sign; wants his release
Matthew Thomas was one of the best signees of this year’s Florida State class, and now he wants out of his letter of intent.
Thomas, who was ranked the nation No. 2 linebacker out of Booker T. Washington High in Miami, told the Miami Herald that he informed Florida State coaches he does not plan on being in camp in August because the decision to go to FSU was not his — it was his mother’s.
“What happened was on Signing Day [was] I wasn’t sure who I wanted to sign with,” Thomas told the paper. “I had issues with different schools. But when I told my mom I didn’t want to sign with anybody and wait and give it a few days she said I couldn’t do that. She said, ‘FSU is a good school – pick them. It’s close to home.’ I wasn’t agreeing with it. But I felt like I was being disrespectful to her if I didn’t sign. So I made her happy.”
Thomas also told the paper he felt pressure because his announcement was live on ESPN.com.
Thomas said if he is released from his letter of intent, he’s seeking offers from either Georgia or USC, two schools that courted him during his recruiting period.
But the Florida State coaches aren’t giving up on him so easily. They plan to meet with Thomas and his parents in South Florida to understand the situation. According to Warchant.com, Thomas’ mother has been out of the country for the past couple weeks, but the meeting will take place when she returns.
Thomas told the Miami Herald his parents support his decision, but that it’s up to the Florida State coaches to make the final call.
This is a tricky situation. Thomas signed his letter of intent and should honor his commitment. However, Florida State doesn’t want a player in its program that doesn’t really want to be there.
It will be interesting to see what Florida State does here because it doesn’t want to set a precedent for future recruits.
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