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The original report -- that Florida State football player De'Andre Johnson was suspected of punching a female student in the face -- was troubling.

The nightclub surveillance video, which was released Monday, was disturbing.

The outrage from fans and media was resounding. And it was completely justified.

Once the facts were in, Florida State had little choice but to dismiss Johnson from its football team, and the Seminoles did just that Monday night. The statement came from FSU head coach Jimbo Fisher, and it was terse:

"Florida State head football coach Jimbo Fisher announced Monday evening that freshman De'Andre Johnson has been dismissed from the football team effective immediately. Johnson was indefinitely suspended on June 25 following initial reports of an incident that occurred off campus and resulted in a criminal charge."

In the grand scheme of things, this won't rate among the most tragic events of any of our lifetimes. Six months from now, it won't even receive mention among the biggest news stories of the 2015 college football season.

The student sustained minor injuries, for which she received treatment at the scene. As painful and traumatic as it might have been in the short term, one would suspect this incident will not affect her ability to continue college or go on to a productive life. We can only hope that's the case.

Johnson, meanwhile, should be able to move on as well. He still faces a misdemeanor battery charge, but if it's his first legal issue (which we believe it is), his attorneys should be able to resolve the case without long-term ramifications. And his football career isn't over, either. If we've learned anything through the years, it's that the public has a very short memory and is quick to forgive.

If Johnson issues a sincere apology, undergoes counseling (as his attorney stated he would on Monday), steers clear of trouble and transfers to a smaller school (with less media scrutiny), there's no reason he can't salvage what just weeks ago appeared to be a very promising athletic career.

Yes, life goes on … even after a horrible mistake made very much in the public eye.

But even with that knowledge, that doesn't mean this has been an easy couple of weeks for the Florida State football program or for Fisher. Cutting a player loose is always difficult -- particularly for Fisher, who takes great pride in having his players' back -- but even more so when it's one like this.

De'Andre Johnson's fall from grace is remarkable not merely because it happened so quickly -- his FSU career is finished just six months after he enrolled and a month before he could even participate in a fall practice -- but because of how entrenched he had been with the Seminoles' program for the last three or four years.

Johnson wasn't just another highly touted recruit. He and fellow 2015 early enrollee Derwin James literally helped build this most recent signing class. They committed early -- Johnson announced he would be a Seminole in July 2012 -- and they spent countless hours working on landing commitments from other top prospects.

They called and texted and cajoled anyone and everyone that the Seminoles were recruiting.

"I love this class. Me and Derwin James have been building this class since we were a freshman together," Johnson told Warchant last December. "We said at that time our goal was to make this the No. 1 class in the country. Now the way things are working out, it could certainly be the best. Even Coach Fisher was saying this could be the best class he's had since he's been here."

Now, Johnson is gone before that class has a chance to step inside Doak Campbell Stadium in uniform. And it feels like such a shame.

From all accounts, Johnson was a team leader at First Coast -- charismatic and a hard worker. And his competitive spirit shined brightly during his only spring in Tallahassee. Even though he had little to no chance of winning FSU's starting quarterback job as a true freshman, he battled as if the door was wide open.

And his talent was on full display in the spring game. While he was clearly still a novice when it came to operating Fisher's offense, his talent as a passer was off the charts. He showed impressive arm strength and beautiful touch. With 155 passing yards and two touchdowns on just 11 attempts, he left FSU fans wanting more.

As sharp as he looked in April, however, there's no way to know whether Johnson would have ever been FSU's starting quarterback. He would have been fourth on the depth chart this fall, and the Seminoles expect to have high school phenom Malik Henry entering the fray next spring. Truth be told, the odds were likely against him.

But before this ugly mess, he at least would have had a chance.

Now, everything he worked for -- an opportunity to play for the Seminoles and to help FSU win another national championship -- has disappeared. In an instant.

While some have come to Johnson's defense, pointing out that the female student punched him first and was at least equally to blame for the situation getting out of hand, none of that really matters. Once the punch was confirmed, the only way FSU could have supported Johnson would have been a video showing him fearing for his safety.

That wasn't the case.

The images were as bad as any of us imagined, if not worse. There might have been provocation, but there was no justification. In the end, Johnson had to go.

The good news is his life isn't ruined. Several schools will be willing to take a chance on him. And hopefully, he will have learned a lesson -- that years of good work can be tarnished with one awful decision.

Florida State's football program will move on without him. The players and coaches will miss their teammate and wish it could have worked out differently -- just as any of us would for a family member who did something wrong.

But FSU did the right thing ... the only thing. In the end, Johnson's inability to walk away made it impossible for the Seminoles to do anything but.