Wednesday at Pahokee High School in Florida, one woman’s quiet sadness outside a small room was louder, and much more poignant, than anything happening inside. Running back Antone Smith is going to Florida State, but the way he made his announcement left Classie Smith all but inconsolable. She wanted her son to go to nearby Miami so she could easily attend his home games. She found out he’d be going to FSU the same time everyone else did. “He never told me,” she said. “I wish he had told me.” Seated at a table next to his mother with five invitations–from Florida State, Miami, Florida, Auburn and Rutgers–in front of him, Smith pushed away three pamphlets, then the Florida State pamphlet, listened to the celebration . . . and pulled it back–twice. He studied the Miami folder, closed it and signed with FSU. As spectators cheered, his mother rushed from the room.
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