Mississippi State defensive lineman Fabien Lovett, who criticized Bulldogs coach Mike Leach's tweet that showed a meme of a woman knitting a noose for her husband during self-quarantine, entered the NCAA transfer portal on Friday.
Lovett wrote on Twitter that he had entered the transfer portal and has three years of eligibility remaining.
Lovett's decision came one day after Leach posted the now-deleted tweet. Lovett responded to his new coach's tweet with "wtf" on his Twitter account. Lovett didn't specify whether he decided to transfer because of Leach's tweet.
Thanks for the positive comments. All love for everybody. 🖤
— 🦍 (@fabo_54) April 4, 2020
Lovett's father, Abdual Lovett, told the Clarion Ledger that he decided Friday that his son should leave the program. Fabien Lovett agreed with his father's decision.
"I didn't feel comfortable with my son being down there with a guy like that from a leadership standpoint -- that you can just throw anything out there," Abdual Lovett told the newspaper on Saturday. "I feel if he can do it, the kids are going to feel like they can do it."
Leach removed the tweet Thursday night and later apologized, writing on Twitter, "I sincerely regret if my choice of images in my tweets were found offensive. I had no intention of offending anyone."
Fabien Lovett, a redshirt sophomore from Olive Branch, Mississippi, recorded 19 tackles and one sack in 2019.
Also Monday, a second Mississippi State player, redshirt freshman Brevyn Jones, announced that he had entered the transfer portal. The offensive lineman did not provide the reason that he decided to explore leaving the Bulldogs.