Dismissed Florida State QB apologizes for hitting woman in bar

Former Florida State freshman quarterback De’Andre Johnson (Photo courtesy screengrab/Sports Illustrated/NDN)

De‘Andre Johnson apologized in an interview with "Good Morning America" on Tuesday and said there was no explanation for his actions in a confrontation with a woman in June.

The state‘s attorney‘s office released surveillance video of Johnson striking a 21-year-old woman June 24 in a bar in Tallahassee, and head coach Jimbo Fisher and the Seminoles acted immediately.

Johnson, a freshman quarterback at Florida State before being dismissed in light of the misdemeanor battery charges, was seated next to his mother, Pamela Jones, for the sitdown with Michael Strahan.

"I totally should have walked away," the 19-year old said.

Johnson‘s attorney claims a racial slur started the confrontation and claims Johnson reacted only after being kneed in the groin and trying again to "de-escalate" the situation.

Florida State president John E. Thrasher held a meeting with Seminoles‘ football players Monday to remind them that playing for the ACC program is a privilege not a right, and accountability would be stressed moving forward. Several high-profile players, most recently Johnson and Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston, have been in headlines for off-field trouble.

"In light of recent off-field incidents, I reiterated to our players that they simply cannot put themselves in situations that reflect poor behavior or cause harm to others," Thrasher said in a school-issued statement. "The actions of a few have the capacity to do serious damage to the reputation of our entire university. I told them their coaches, the Athletics administration and I will do all we can to support them and help them learn the values we expect them to uphold. But they will be held accountable for their actions."