A relief for FSU fans.
In the future I hope this guy is more careful. Learn from the pro athletes and musicians. Have witnesses around that can verify the sex was consensual. It may be embarrassing to have friends in the next room but that’s the sad reality of todays world. This guys career was almost ruined by an accusation.
Realistically, he would’ve fine even if charges were brought. Juries rarely convict popular athletes. Whether he did it or not is irrelevant.
more info. Saved by an unidentified second partner.
I believe that if he were charged, the policy at FSU is that he would have to stop playing athletics until the situation is resolved, so as far as the upcoming games are concerned, a charge was as good as a conviction.
They have reported any student charged with a felony gets suspended at FSU. So Jameis Winston’s career would have been over until after the trial. That could have taken months or even a year. Even then there was no guarantee FSU would offer a new scholarship to someone that had brought bad press to FSU.
It would cost FSU the championship also since their backup QB is down.
I got a sense from Twitter that the DA’s press conference was a real embarrassment with the participants laughing and not appearing to take the matter seriously. That doesn’t do much for one’s confidence in the investigation.
Other stories have it that school policy allows for “exceptional circumstances”. If those circumstances include it being your starting quarterback with a couple of big games coming up is still unresolved.
Woot! I’m happy for Mr. Winston and happy for me, since this means that I’ll eventually be able to collect on my bet that FSU will win the championship this season.
I watched the first 10 or so minutes and I didn’t get that sense at all. There was some “good ole boy” phrasing from the Prosecuting Attorney, but I wouldn’t have characterized it as “laughing and not appearing to take the matter seriously.” On the other hand, I live here and know Willie Meggs and have seen him speak before, so that may be coloring my perception. I can promise you he takes this stuff seriously. Now, with that said, some of the reporters may have been laughing. Buddy that works at the courthouse said the place has been a zoo all day.
The consensus around here is that there is no way that FSU would have exercised the extraordinary circumstances clause. It would have been an incredibly tone-deaf and damaging decision. If he had gotten charged, he would have been suspended.
But wouldn’t a national championship run be the very definition of “extraordinary circumstances”?
I wonder how many Heisman votes this cost him? He may still have a chance if FSU wins this weekend. Voting ends Monday?
I imagine the extraordinary circumstances would need to refer to the case or the player, not whether it is inconvenient for the team.
Typical PR statement probably written by FSU’s Office of Communications. I hope they eventually let the kid grant interviews.
http://www.wctv.tv/news/bigstories/headlines/BREAKING-231816891.html
Nah. Jameis’ legal team wrote that.
Your “sense” is right on the money. That press conference was an utter embarrassment to all involved.
The state attorney and his colleagues were giggling and cracking jokes through the whole thing, and gave silly answers to legitimate questions.
Look, I don’t know what really happened. MAYBE Jameis Winston raped a woman. MAYBE she willingly had sex with him while drunk. MAYBE she’s a gold-digger. MAYBE the truth is something else entirely.
Regardless, IF the investigators found that WInston is 100% innocent, they should have issued a simple press release saying that. IF they found there just wasn’t enough evidence to justify an indictment, they should have issued a simple press release saying exactly that.
Instead, the state attorney made an ass of himself by holding a pointless press conference and treating it as a goof.
IF there was a real rape, his behavior could not have been more insulting or inappropiate. And again, IF there was a real rape, the woman in question has every right to be livid. Firstr, the cops told her to clam up because Florida is a football mad state, and now a state official is laughing about her ordeal?
Absolutely nauseating.
I did not see that at all.
That is NOT what the cop told her and a number of attorneys have gone on record defending him. He was letting her know that because Winston is a football player and this is a football town, this was going to be rough on her. He OWES her that warning. Better she be aware of that than be surprised when people start calling her a slut and a whore*.
If that’s true, I appreciate the correction.
Again, I have no desire to take sides here. I don’t know what happened, and do NOT assume the young woman in question is telling the whole truth.
But even IF she completely misinterpreted the police officers’ motives, his words combined with the jokey atmosphere of the press conference are bound to convince her (and her lawyers) further that the authorities aren’t taking her seriously.
A big civil suit seems all but inevitable.
I don’t understand what problem people are having with the press conference, it seemed like a completely standard press conference.