Whether or not Dalvin Cook is available for the start of Florida State’s season remains to be seen.
As one of the ACC head coaches getting the ESPN “car wash” treatment Tuesday, Jimbo Fisher very plainly stated that Cook will remain indefinitely suspension his misdemeanor case is resolved. The running back was charged with battery after a female claimed that he punched her in the face while both were at a Tallahassee bar.
Cook’s initial court date is set for Sept. 2, a date that was pushed back to the frustration of the player’s attorney. As FSU opens the 2015 season Sept. 5, and as the lawyer has very loudly proclaimed that his client will not take a plea deal, it means Cook could very well be sidelined for the opener against Texas State.
If the case drags deeper into the month of September, games against USF (Sept. 12) and Boston College (Sept. 18, ACC opener and first 2015 road game) could be in jeopardy as well. There’s also the chance that, once the case is resolved, Fisher could decide to suspend Cook for one or more games.
For now, though, any attempt to guess at what future punishment may be meted out is pointless.
“We’ll wait to make decisions based on facts,” Fisher said when asked about Cook’s status. “And when the case gets concluded and all the facts are in, then Florida State will make a decision based off that and whatever’s going on. But it’s an ongoing investigation so we can’t really say much about it.”
Cook, who led the team in rushing as a true freshman last season, was indefinitely suspended by the football program shortly after the incident. Cook’s attorney lashed out publicly at those assuming his client’s guilt, while the release of the alleged victim’s 911 call added further questions regarding what actually happened that night in June.