FSU and Jimbo don't have a choice. Davante Phillips has to be suspended until the charges are dropped or he is found not guilty.
There's a lot of history behind the reason why.
The Julian Pittman rule took effect at FSU in the late 1990s. Pittman was a star DE for Saint Bobby and the Seminoles. Then one day Pittman decided he really didn't like his ex-girlfriend. He went to her home and forced his way in. He stole her credit cards and ordered a pizza. Then he went on a shopping spree at the mall. The police were waiting for Pittman when he arrived back at his house after a tiring day of stealing. They found him wearing just purchased clothes with bags of other purchased items in the car. They also found the stolen credit card and all of the receipts signed with Pittman's handwriting. Pittman was charged with several felonies. Here's his mugshot with the newly purchased threads.
Of course, Bobby saw things a little differently than other people might. Bowden commented ''Poor timing, boy. I hate it for him. It was his last year, and he's already been redshirted. I'm very disappointed for him. It never got in my hands." He went on to say
''It ruined my day. I just don't know what happens to other students. It just seems so darn harsh.''
The school's administrators, under fire due to so many previous scandals, suspended Pittman for the entire season. It appeared his career was over.
Then, Bowden found a loophole. FSU did not have a written rule that players charged with felonies are automatically suspended. Pittman somehow hired a legal team and they took the case to court. Judge after judge found in FSU's favor. They all stated that playing football is not a right and therefore FSU could suspend Pittman. However, eventually Pittman's apparently very inexpensive legal team (hope they didn't accept a credit card) found an appellate judge that overturned the previous hearings. Just like that, Pittman was again eligible to play.
While the court cases were going through the system, Pittman was also going through the legal system as a perp. He plead guilty to burglary and fraudulent use of a credit card. He was now a convicted felon. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail and five years of probation.
None of that deterred Saint Bobby. He reinstated Pittman to the team and he played the final four games of the season and the Sugar Bowl.
The FSU administration was so embarrassed by the whole ordeal that they created the Julian Pittman rule. Now it is a written rule that no FSU athlete can compete while facing a felony charge or after being convicted of a felony.