Jameis Winston will reportedly not be in attendance next month when his name is called at the NFL draft in Chicago, but was the decision to stay home his own? It doesn’t sound like it.
According to Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole, Winston was pressured by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to not attend the draft when Goodell met with the former Florida State star in New York last week.
“Don’t be surprised if the NFL put a little bit of pressure on Jameis Winston to not be there,” Cole said Tuesday. “After having that meeting with Roger Goodell last week, Jameis Winston has done a number of things to maintain an incredibly low profile. He dropped his Twitter account. He made this decision now — that is at least being portrayed as his decision — to not attend the draft.”
Winston reportedly impressed several teams at the NFL Combine, and many believe he will be the top overall pick. Given all the off-field issues he has had recently, Goodell and company are likely concerned about their new potential superstar getting a negative reception.
“The NFL — in the aftermath of everything they’ve dealt with, from Greg Hardy to Ray Rice to Adrian Peterson — is very much afraid of the protest that are going to go along with Winston being a first round pick, let alone being the No. 1 overall pick,” Cole said. “There’s a pragmatic approach here: How do they mute the protest that’s likely to happen? This decision from Winston to not attend is an attempt to mute that reaction.”
Personally, I don’t think Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans would boo if their 2-14 team drafted a quality quarterback prospect. But other fans might, and that’s obviously a risk Goodell and company don’t want to take.
