Twistity Sports Exclusive: WINSTON IS SMOKIN’

 
Jameis Winston knows how to entertain a crowd.

Whether it is on the football field (or the baseball field) for Florida State or repping his school at the ACC Media Days, Winston draws attention.

As well he should. As a redshirt freshman football player, he won not only the Heisman Trophy but a national championship with the unbeaten Seminoles, throwing 40 touchdown passes. Now he is eyeing repeat performances and winning both of those honors again (in consecutive years) would be unprecedented and miraculous. Don’t doubt his capabilities.

He’s talented, engaging and fun. He can play. He’s certainly smart enough.

At the ACC gathering, he spoke gleefully of the conference ripping away the national title from the SEC, which thinks (perhaps rightfully) that it owns it.  When he was asked if a one-loss team from the ACC could gain a BCS championship berth, he replied that “a loss is definitely not in our vocabulary at this point.”

Winston has all the makings of stardom. The trappings, as well. And the problems. There’s a sexual assault allegation that hasn’t gone away and there was the shoplifting incident at a grocery store where about $30 of crab legs bootlegged to the right, past the cash register and out of the store without a stop to pay.  He wound up with a civil citation and community service.

Has he matured? Can he mature? He is only 20. Should he know better? Yes. But as a privileged athlete, he’s probably accustomed to getting away with almost everything.

So now he talks about leadership, about living up to the image, doing the right things. And those are easy to say and harder to do.

“As a leader,” he said, “you have to accept the role and live up to it.”

True. Either he will live up to it or he will have to live it down.
 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman .