Sep 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Florida State Seminoles quarterback Deondre Francois (12) throws the ball against the Alabama Crimson Tide int he second quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Florida State does not have a very good reputation when it comes to handling sexual assault and domestic violence. In 2015, the New York Times reported that the school had failed to report almost 100 alleged cases of sexual battery or rape in the prior year. Furthermore, it was estimated by a former victim’s advocate director that 40 football players had been accused of sexual assault or domestic violence and only one of those players had actually been found responsible. All of this came out in the wake of allegations against star quarterback Jameis Winston, who was accused of rape by a fellow student in 2012. The school and local police were accused of sitting on the investigation and attempting to cover it up and the school later settled a lawsuit by the student for $950,000.

So it’s with all of that in mind that there are some very wary eyes pointed in FSU’s direction Wednesday with the news that quarterback Deondre Francois was involved in a domestic dispute with his pregnant girlfriend, per the Orlando Sentinel.

No arrests were made on the scene Tuesday when the alleged incident occurred, no charges have been filed, and the case has been deemed closed. According to the Tallahassee Democrat, the lack of an unbiased witness and conflicting statements made it impossible for them to proceed.

Francois and the woman both gave statements to police with varying details about the incident that took place at Francois’ apartment. FSU running back Zaquandre White was present and also spoke with police.

According to Francois, his girlfriend began to break items and tried to take a television down from the wall when he picked her up and tried to take her out of the apartment. At that point, she began swinging at him and ripped her own shirt, shouting, “I’m going to call the cops for domestic violence.” White corroborated Francois’ story, telling police that Francois only touched his girlfriend while trying to prevent her from breaking more items and that any physical actions defensive in nature.

The unnamed woman told police a different account. The nine-week pregnant woman told police that the dispute began because Francois was upset about someone speaking to her.  She said she locked herself in the bedroom but Francois broke the door down, picked her up, threw her to the ground, and tried to kick her out of the apartment. She said a cut on her forearm was from when he tried to drag her outside, while Francois says the cut occurred when she broke a vase.

According to police reports, the woman did not want to press charges against Francois, and did not want him to get in “trouble, trouble,” but she did want the police to “scare him a little.”

FSU hasn’t commented yet on the incident or on any possible punishment for Francois, who is expected to compete for the starting quarterback position on next year’s Seminoles squad. Francois threw for 3,350 yards with 20 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 2016, but spent most of 2017 rehabbing a knee injury suffered in the team’s season opener.

[Orlando Sentinel]

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Editorial Strategy Director for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.