Jameis Winston is probably going to be taken with the first overall pick in the NFL draft next month. If not for the off-field questions surrounding the former Florida State star, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would likely have nothing to think about.
Winston’s former coach, Seminoles coach Jimbo Fisher, has only one thing to say to all the teams who are worried about that — what off-field questions?
“Why is there a question?. Because of the character assassination that he’s lived through in the media, and the [misinformation] and half-truths that have been printed,” Fisher told WDAE radio in Tampa on Friday, per Dave Peters of Eye on College Football. “What amazes me about this whole process is the un-professionalism of a lot of major newspapers, and a lot of major outlets that did not report the whole truth of the situation and only slanted it for their own opinion.”
Fisher is likely referring to the sexual assault allegations Winston faced over a year ago. While many immediately jumped to the conclusion that Winston was guilty, no charges were ever filed. The accuser still insists there was foul play, but Winston is seemingly off the hook.
“Jameis has great character,” Fisher added. “Did he make mistakes? Yes. Did he make silly mistakes? Yes. I mean, he’s still a 20-year-old kid. He and Johnny Manziel are the only two who have ever gone through that pressure of winning a Heisman [as an underclassman]. Plus, he won a national championship. No one had ever done what he had done.
“Some of his mistakes come from wanting to be normal. … He likes being seen as a normal student, and not Jameis Winston. … That got him in trouble by making some poor choices. … It wasn’t from malice, but just from a little bit of immaturity. He’s still just 20 years old. He’ll grow through that.”
I don’t know if you can say “normal” students jump on tables and yell inappropriate things or get caught shoplifting from a supermarket, but you see the point Fisher is trying to make.
Winston supposedly blew some NFL teams away with his football knowledge at the Scouting Combine last month. The Bucs are likely going to draft him. If not for the character concerns, they probably would have already announced the pick.
