Jameis Winston’s lawyer wrote in a recent letter to Florida State University that the woman who claimed she was raped by Winston offered to settle out of court for $7 million.
According to TMZ, the alleged victim’s lawyer, Patricia Carroll, demanded $7 million to settle her client’s claims against Winston and FSU and vowed that “you will never hear from my client or me again — in the press or anywhere” if the money was paid out. Winston’s attorney David Cornwell says he rejected the proposal and Carroll went to the media four days later.
Cornwell also told FSU in his letter that Carroll said Winston had to have raped her client because she would never sleep with a “black boy.” The alleged victim was dating a black male at the time.
Cornwell said Winston is willing to fully cooperate with FSU’s private investigation into the case but that the quarterback will not put himself into a situation where he is at risk of being extorted.
“Mr. Winston will cooperate with the Investigation. He looks forward to clearing his name,” Cornwell wrote. “But Mr. Winston will not walk into a honey trap. The investigation must be a legitimate investigation.”
Winston was cleared of sexual assault last year after prosecutors found a number of holes in the alleged victim’s story and discovered another man’s DNA on her clothing.
