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He did something stupid in college. He's hardly the first ever to do that. And his "punishment" is one freaking half of football. It's not like he lost his scholarship.
They're doing everything they can to make the guy better. Hopefully he finally starts to realize that what he says and does can have a direct impact on his life. That's kind of what college is about for everyone, and doubly more for athletes that have the talent to go pro.Comment
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Best reason to have a license.
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Most students would be suspended for saying something like that. He should be suspended from school for 3-5 days so he should have to sit out the whole game and be barred from any campus activity. I we suspended for 5 days in high school for saying something like this, but I was 15...this guy is what? 20?Comment
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He is sitting for the whole game now right?Comment
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This article makes some good points. I don't think anybody truly believes he is a bad kid but he keeps making poor decisions and gets off the hook with what some would say is preferential treatment because of his status at the starting QB for FSU. This latest situation isn't criminal as some of the previous issues have been but it is in poor taste and it's good the team took action.
Open Letter to Jameis Winston
Dear Jameis,
Everyone in the Seminole Nation, well, the Florida State University Seminole Nation, knows about all of the “other” incidents that have brought the bright spotlight of scrutiny upon you before. In fact, most people in America know about them as well.
But, those events, along with the latest, do inform my words and what they reveal are symptoms. All of the incidents are symptoms and it is important for you to get a handle on the root cause of the problem that brings these symptoms out.
Whether it is the sleeping around that placed you in a situation where you were accused of rape (that can happen when folks have sex with people who are not their spouse), “goofing around” at a local Burger King and swiping soft drinks because you are who you are (you know, the quarterback of the Seminoles), becoming absent minded about where you are shopping for crab and walking out of the store without paying, or the latest event, standing on a table and screaming a sexually explicit and profane expression (ostensibly because it is a “funny” meme and part of a video that has gone viral)...you need to understand what it is that brings this reckless behavior out of you.
It's you.
It's not your upbringing. It is not the pressure of being a Heisman Trophy winner and the focus of the media and fans.
It's you.
How do I know when I have only met you a couple of times? Because of what you said repeatedly in the last year. You said it in the wake of being cleared of rape by the State Attorney's office. You said it in an interview with ESPN. You said it on Media Day at Florida State in August. You said it, “I'm still gonna be me”. You made that statement, or words just like them over and over, and that, young man, is the problem.
You also just stated that you and your teammates overcome “adversity”. This may sound harsh, but right now Jameis...you are the adversity.
It's you. It's time to get to work on you. It's the best investment you'll ever make.
We are all works in progress, to be sure. We all make mistakes. But, the person marked with success learns from their mistakes. I think most of us would say that we seldom learn in the good times, but only in the bad. My hunch is that you have never really been punished and now, at this stage of your life, I hold Florida State University responsible. The school and the football program holds the ultimate lever. Playing time...one of the single greatest motivators ever.
One half of football is not what I think is needed, but you can prove me (and a whole lot of others) wrong. You have developed a bad pattern and I believe something more substantial needs to happen to get your attention. But, again...you can prove me wrong.
Some have said that sitting you for a whole football game, especially an important one, is unfair to your teammates. Some have even said it is unfair to the fans. Jameis, I submit it is just the opposite. What is unfair is treating the leader of the team different than the team? What is unfair is teaching the lesson that football is more important than character. The fact is, you are part of a team and the actions of any one player impact the rest. Certainly, some more than others, but the point remains.
The greatest love that can be shown is the love of discipline. When Randy Moss was on the FSU campus, and playing for Coach Bobby Bowden, he came here with strikes against him. He was one of the most talented athletes in the history of college football. But, there was an agreement with Coach Bowden. No mistakes. Not one.
History tells us the rest. Moss flunked a drug test and was gone. Bowden could have won another national title with Moss, he was that good. But instead, he loved Randy Moss and sent him out the door. It saved Moss' career. He went on to star at Marshall and the NFL. I am convinced that discipline saved Randy Moss, but Randy Moss also learned. Will you, finally, learn?
I am pulling for you Jameis, you are an engaging, talented young man. But, you've already cost yourself millions (yes, character seems to be a pretty big deal in the NFL these days, don't you think?), but you can do it. You are not a kid anymore, you are a young man...well a young male. I think us guys are male by birth, man by choice.
Time to make a choice.Comment
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Doesn't Winston realize NFL front office people are watching his dumb ass? Would you take a chance investing on this cat being the face of your franchise?Comment
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I'm sure this is the last thing that Winston's handlers want to occur.
Johnny Manziel and Jameis Winston have a lot in common. For one, they both have a Heisman Trophy. For another? They're both good at making headlines.
Winston was the talk of the sports world in late April after he left a grocery store with some crab legs without paying. Johnny Football then swiped the national headlines back when he showed up at a party in Texas on an inflatable swan.
There's been more recent escapades, too: Manziel was photographed rolling money in a bathroom in July. Then there's Winston, who was suspended for Florida State's Sept. 20 game against Clemson after he yelled an obscene phrase in public that you probably shouldn't yell out in public.
Read More: http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-...-ways-as-i-canComment
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I'm not one to make excuses for foolish behavior but this kid isn't a gangbanger or getting busted for drugs and alcohol. He's committed some petty crimes and has said some stupid shit that I think he will grow out of. His pattern of behavior doesn't scream
Criminal to me, just immature and stupid. He should know better but 99% of 20 year olds should.
I don't think he will be a troublemaker once he gets into the NFL because he will mature and figure out how intense the Spotlight is but I don't think he is going to be that good of a NFL qb either way.Comment
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I would say that the rape allegations are pretty serious. While he was never proven guilty, for someone as in the public eye as he is, that should be his warning shot to stop being an idiot, guilty or no.
That being said, completely agree with you. He'll be fine in the NFL. I love when people act like character matters in professional sports. Look, these dudes are all like 100x the asshole sports jock you knew in high school. They are the Superman of asshole sports jocks. They come from a community where they were the center of attention constantly (in most cases, at least). At the point, Winston will get drafted as long as he doesn't kick the shit out of a woman. Will he be good? Probably not. But to say that his behavior is going to keep NFL teams from looking at him is silly.Comment
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