Being a young college student who just happens to be a superstar collegiate athlete means Jameis Winston knows his internet trends and memes. And that knowledge and fascination with it seems to have gotten him into his latest bit of trouble, as Florida State suspended him from the first half of their big conference game against Clemson.
Why was he suspended? It turns out, via Twitter, that Winston stood on a table in the middle of campus and shouted “F@#$ her right in the p@#$%”. Allegedly, he has done a lot worse in the past, but instead of waiting one year to investigate it, the university acted quickly enough this time, probably overreacting, suspending him for one half which is usually the meaning of “we don’t really want to suspend you but our arms are twisted so lets make some people happy by saying you got punished.”
With the Anti-NFL atmosphere right now, the effects can’t be ignored. The trend right now is to make the biggest deal possible at every single allegation or hint of domestic abuse or violence. Having a Heisman Trophy winner who has been accused of rape with many believing both the local police and the university have helped him get away with it shouting profanities that began with a reporter getting caught making obscene remarks at the wrong time and alter a prankster interrupting a live broadcast.
If we were living in a vacuum environment, without having to consider past actions and the things that happen in the world around us, I’m not sure Winston gets suspended. I’m not sure it even gets picked up and mentioned by anyone, letting the “news” of him saying something on campus circulate and wither away on Florida State blogs and forums.
However, this isn’t the case. We have daily reports of NFL players facing charges of domestic abuse. Winston will forever be tainted in the eyes of some for whatever happened between him and his accuser because of how it was handled by the police and the university. His love for crabs and not paying for them is also now a public thing.
Clemson win, at least for one half, by not having to face Winston, who hasn’t had the best of starts for the season. Winston himself is the big loser of this of course, because of what it might mean for his future in the NFL, and how scouts and general managers might think of him as another controversial aspect of his behavior gets revealed.