Getty Image / Russell Lansford / Icon Sportswire
Former Florida State Seminoles quarterback Deondre Francois made his XFL debut with the Orlando Guardians. Things could’ve gone better but they could have gone worse.
In some FSU circles, he is a legend for winning the 2016 Orange Bowl against Michigan. I actually watched that game in Reykjavik, Iceland while my wife was back at the hotel wondering why the heck I’d stay up so late to watch the Noles during the post-Jameis decline.
The Orlando Guardians game was a headline-making machine. Orlando Guardians head coach Terrell Buckley, a former FSU Seminole himself, threw the Guardians under the bus at halftime. Buckley said ‘we gotta get guys in there that want to compete’ and really went all in on the lack of effort from his team.
We got coaches in the XFL throwing their entire team under the bus 😂pic.twitter.com/f0w0LhZq3G
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) February 26, 2023
That moment led to Deondre Francois’ XFL debut and another viral moment. A hot mic during a huddle picked up the former FSU QB telling his teammates to ‘shut the f–k up’ while he was talking.
Deondre Francois’ XFL Debut Goes Viral
QB isn't playing 😅@XFL2023 | @XFLGuardians pic.twitter.com/4GPETDmsni
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) February 27, 2023
Many people on Twitter questioned why a lineman was trying to call a play in the huddle. Lots of football fans claimed they’d never seen such a thing in a huddle before.
Others were just happy to see Deondre Francois back on the gridiron.
Elsewhere in the Orlando Guardians’ XFL game, a hot mic picked up Shane Matthews dropping an f-bomb on live TV:
Sorry what's that playcall? pic.twitter.com/ukAIc2fPbL
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 26, 2023
All that passion wasn’t enough. The Orlando Guardians remained winless (0-2) on the season and lost 12-30 to the Brahmas.