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[h1]Father says Lee will not transfer, will prepare for combine instead[/h1]
ESPN.com news services
Updated: January 14, 2008, 11:03 AM ET
Xavier Lee's turbulent career at Florida State is over after the Seminoles asked him to move from quarterback to tight end, his father told the Orlando Sentinel.
Lee's father, Willie, said Xavier, a redshirt junior, was told by Florida State coaches he no longer would be playing quarterback, and that offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher had asked him to play tight end instead.
Lee, who was a much-heralded recruit out of high school but started only six games for the Seminoles, is not enrolled in spring classes at Florida State, and a Seminoles coach confirmed to the Tallahassee Democrat that Lee was no longer a part of the football program.
According to Willie Lee, Xavier likely will prepare for an anticipated invitation to the NFL scouting combine, and will not transfer to another school.
"Can't blame him, man," Willie Lee said of his son's decision to leave school, according to the Sentinel. "What else is he going to do -- sit around there and watch other kids go ahead of him?"
Lee's time at Florida State had been rocky, at best. This season, he began as the backup to Drew Weatherford, but came off the bench and engineered a 21-14 victory against Alabama. He started the next three games, but was benched again Oct. 20 after throwing two interceptions and fumbling twice in Florida State's loss to Miami.
After that, he was suspended for two games for violating the team's class attendance rules. He also never took the field for Florida State again. He had told reporters he would be eligible to play in the Music City Bowl, but when the Seminoles traveled to Nashville for the game, Lee was not with them.
Lee's mother, Gloria, told the Sentinel on Sunday that she has been "heartbroken" by her son's turbulent FSU career. "As a single parent, I'm pretty much upset, heartbroken, because of the situation they put him in and how they treated him over the years," Gloria Lee said.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3195763
I'm just kind of wondering why Lee's mom would drop the "single parent" line in that quote? Not as a "parent," but as a"SINGLE PARENT." That struck me as a bit odd....They must have filled her head with NFL promises for her son. I dunno why he stuck it out there inthe first place.