Jameis Winston
Make no mistake about it that former Florida State Seminoles quarterback Jameis Winston is one of it not the top college prospects that will be available at the 2015 National Football League Draft later this month. In his two years as the starting quarterback at Florida State, Winston complied a dazzling record of 26-1 as he helped the ‘Noles claim a national championship. Winston has tremendous athletic ability, football knowledge, and there isn’t a throw that he cannot make. With that said, Winston should be the clear cut favorite to be the first overall pick of the NFL Draft, but unfortunately that is not the case.
As Winston is preparing to embark on a professional football career in the National Football League, he is surrounded by red flags.
In 2012, Winston was involved in a BB gun incident on Florida State’s campus, but no charges were filed. In 2013, Winston was accused of sexually assaulting a female student at Florida State in an incident that dated back to December 2012. The investigation of the incident looked into a potential cover up by both Florida State University and the Tallahassee Police Department. Winston was never charged in the incident and Florida State’s review board cleared Winston of any wrongdoing. But as Winston is on the verge of becoming a millionaire, his accuser has filed a civil suit against the former Heisman Trophy winner. In July 2013, Winston was accused of stealing soda from a Tallahassee Burger King. And last September, Winston was suspended for one game by Florida State for standing on a table at the student union and making a vulgar comment. Some of Winston’s incidents are ticky-tack while others are serious and what it adds up to is a guy that an NFL franchise should really think long and hard about before drafting him.
The hypocritical NFL claims to be image conscious, but only when their back is against the wall. After the infamous Super Bowl 38 halftime incident involving pop singer Janet Jackson, the NFL denied any prior knowledge of it. Last year, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell suspended former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice for the first two games of the season for his involvement in a domestic violence incident at a Atlantic City hotel. But when video surfaced last September of what happened in a casino elevator, Goodell moved to suspend Rice indefinitely which was to merely save face. We are also only a few days removed from seeing a Massachusetts jury send former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez to jail for life after he was convicted of first-degree murder which is a tremendous black eye for the NFL. This year has also seen former NFL safety Darren Sharper sent to prison for nine years after accepting a plea deal to rape. Aside from disciplining the players, Goodell let it be known that teams could be held responsible for the actions of their players. But how could Goodell really enforce harsh discipline on a team when he works for the owners? An example of this was Goodell’s slap on the wrist as far as his punishment that was handed down to Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay following his March 2014 arrest for DUI suspicion and drug possession. And as the NFL wants to come off as being “pure”, they have no problem in making a player such as Winston the first overall selection of the NFL Draft with his checkered past.
Winston is still a kid as he is only 21-years age and I am not sure if he is truly ready for the spotlight of the National Football League. Winston has already let it be known that he intends to skip the frenzy of the draft and remain at home with his family. And as the NFL Draft is one of the league’s marquee events, they want the top selections in the draft on hand for all of the festivities and to walk across the stage to shake Goodell’s hand. At Florida State, Winston was a big fish in a small pond. Luckily for Winston, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tennessee Titans own the top two picks in the NFL Draft. And as both the Bucs and Titans need a quarterback, neither team plays in a big market which would help Winston if one of them drafts him as at this point he cannot afford to be a small fish in a very big pond.
One is an accident and two is a trend as unfortunately trouble seems to always find Winston. Winston’s problem won’t be from 8AM-4PM Monday-Friday, or Sunday afternoons from 1PM-4PM. But Winston’s problem will be when he is away from the team facility. As previously stated, Winston is more than likely the most talented player in this draft. But can he trusted to be available for all 16 games? The jury will still be out on Winston and whomever drafts him should think long and hard before they hand in that player card to Goodell at the NFL Draft.
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