Twistity Sports Exclusive: BAD TASTE OF WINSTON

 
Interesting week for Florida State football. On Sunday, word was leaked that quarterback Jameis Winston had been cleared of violating the student code of conduct. The retired Florida state supreme court justice who heard the case ruled the evidence did not sufficiently support the allegations of sexual assault.

A state prosecutor had reached the same conclusion a year ago, refusing to bring charges.

As regards the code of conduct hearing, the complainant’s lawyers cried foul, claimed a whitewash and a stacked procedure.

Then, on Tuesday, the school extended head football coach Jimbo Fisher’s contract by eight years, giving him unspecified raises beyond the $4.1 million due him this year.

Never doubt that football rules Tallahassee.

The Seminoles are defending national champions. They’ve won 29 consecutive games and will play in the first College Football Playoff on Jan. 1 at the Rose Bowl against Oregon.

Winston, who won the Heisman Trophy a year ago, hasn’t covered himself in glory. Whether he finds trouble or it finds him is an open question. He was suspended for one game for shouting obscenities in a public campus venue and he was cited for shoplifting crab legs at a grocery store. There was at least one previous incident, aside from the sexual assault allegation.

It is widely expected Winston will opt for the NFL draft and it’s hard to think FSU won’t want to see him go. This is too much trouble and bad publicity for one player to cause an institution that exists theoretically for purposes of higher education. In a time where campus rape has become a critical issue, this episode only brings the wrong sort of attention to FSU. Do alleged victims get justice? Do schools look the other way when their highest-profile athletes still have work to do on their behalf?

NFL teams will do well to fully investigate Winston before investing millions in him as their quarterback and the face of their franchise. He’s entitled to a presumption of innocence. But is he innocent? And if he isn’t, who will punish him?

 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman .