Jameis Winston didn't steal those crab legs after all......

[cptau 169]

He was getting free food, an NCAA violation.......

http://espn.go.com/nfl/draft2015/story/_/id/12739843/jameis-winston-florida-state-seminoles-says-crab-legs-were-given-not-stolen

Former Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston, who is projected to be the first overall selection in the NFL draft, said during an appearance on ESPN's Draft Academy that he did not steal crab legs last year and that they instead were given to him by a grocery store employee.

The former Heisman Trophy winner was issued a civil citation for shoplifting on April 29, 2014, after he walked out of a Tallahassee, Florida, supermarket without paying for $32 worth of crab legs and crawfish.

At that time, Winston said in a statement: "I went to the supermarket with the intent to purchase dinner but made a terrible mistake for which I'm taking full responsibility. In a moment of youthful ignorance, I walked out of the store without paying for one of my items."

On the Draft Academy show, which aired Tuesday night but was taped before the NFL scouting combine in February, Winston, when asked about the incident by Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, said: "How I'm supposed to handle, like, if I just got them for free? I just say, 'I just messed up?'"

When asked by Harbaugh to elaborate on the incident, Winston said he got free food from an individual working at that store before.

"Well, a week before, it was my buddy's birthday and we had got a cake. And we met a dude that worked inside Publix and he said, 'Hey, anytime you come in here, I got you.' So that day we just walked out and he hooked us up with that," Winston said.

"And when I came in to get crab legs, I did the same thing and he just gave them to me and I walked out. And someone from inside the store had told the security that I didn't pay for them. And that's how the whole thing started."

Florida State suspended Winston from the baseball team as a result of the citation. He was reinstated to the team five days after receiving the citation, after he completed his community service.

Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher, asked Wednesday during the ACC spring teleconference about Winston's comments, said "it was totally news to me" and that the Seminoles' compliance department was looking into the matter.

"I had no knowledge of it until I came in this morning," Fisher said. "But FSU, we did make contact with Publix back then to make sure there was nothing going on."

Fisher said he was confident the incident was an isolated one.

"The details disclosed by Winston in that interview were not previously known to the University," the school said in a statement Wednesday. "As is the case with all matters of this type, we will work in partnership with the NCAA to determine whether a violation occurred."

Publix said the company conducted an investigation at the time and found "no information that would corroborate the story that there was any arrangement for Jameis or any other FSU athlete to get any product for free."

Maria Brous, Publix's director of media and community relations, told USA Today Sports that the report from the sheriff's office was consistent with his statement a year ago. She also said that Publix employees were asked directly if there was any arrangement with Winston.

"There was no information that would lead us to believe that any of our associates were involved in giving away product," Brous told USA Today Sports.

[ShocksMyBrain 9,363]

And the NCAA won't do a thing.

[tgr4lfe 220]

AH! I knew it! I think I relayed in one of the threads about that last fall that a coach I know that has some connections said that exact thing. The "Winston stole the crab legs" was NOTHING but a cover up, knowing that the NCAA wouldn't blink an eye at a theft, but impermissible benefits would perk their ears. Now, just gotta get a good investigative journalist to go find the internal emails about the cover up!

[PowerOfDixieland 3,226]

Pretty funny response from Harbaugh, who has got to be a weird dude, acted like he had never heard of the incident when UM QB coach Jedd Fisch pressed Winston about It. I was thinking did he really not know anything about that?

Winston tried to maintain the BB gun shootout was the only time he had interacted with police. They never asked about the rape

[war eagle6 0]

Who ever drafts that kid is really setting themselves up for disaster.

[tigerchris 243]

It's still theft.

[ShocksMyBrain 9,363]

Who ever drafts that kid is really setting themselves up for disaster.

The guy is a complete imbecile. Oh, to be a fly on the wall during some of those NFL interviews.

[AUTUmike 79]

Who ever drafts that kid is really setting themselves up for disaster.

Yep, and the thing is...I'm not overly impressed with Winston's talent anyway. He's a pretty stationary QB who threw 18 picks against pretty average-to-bad defenses last year.

[eibua12 81]

It's still theft.

Yes and I bet his buddy gets fired by Publix, he needs to learn to keep his trap shut.

[keesler 5,924]

Who knows if Winston is telling the truth? Who could believe his story on anything?

The Publix people investigated - FSU compliance investigated - the police investigated and all came to the conclusion that he stole the stuff and that there was no insider giving him free food......Now that he's about to be drafted, and interviewed by the pro's he has to have a story that would paint a better picture of his character, so he says the crab legs were a gift and he's not really a thief - a buddy just hooked him up with free food.

The guy is sketchy, makes poor decisions and puts himself in bad situations that call his character into question. Any pro team would be leary of drafting him ~ but nevertheless, he will be a multi-millionaire in a few weeks, because he's got talent and can play football.

[AU64 10,122]

Who knows if Winston is telling the truth? Who could believe his story on anything?

The Publix people investigated - FSU compliance investigated - the police investigated and all came to the conclusion that he stole the stuff and that there was no insider giving him free food......Now that he's about to be drafted, and interviewed by the pro's he has to have a story that would paint a better picture of his character, so he says the crab legs were a gift and he's not really a thief - a buddy just hooked him up with free food.

The guy is sketchy, makes poor decisions and puts himself in bad situations that call his character into question. Any pro team would be leary of drafting him ~ but nevertheless, he will be a multi-millionaire in a few weeks, because he's got talent and can play football.

yep....and they will probably hire a "baby sitter / guard to keep him out of trouble during the season.

[keesler 5,924]

Who knows if Winston is telling the truth? Who could believe his story on anything?

The Publix people investigated - FSU compliance investigated - the police investigated and all came to the conclusion that he stole the stuff and that there was no insider giving him free food......Now that he's about to be drafted, and interviewed by the pro's he has to have a story that would paint a better picture of his character, so he says the crab legs were a gift and he's not really a thief - a buddy just hooked him up with free food.

The guy is sketchy, makes poor decisions and puts himself in bad situations that call his character into question. Any pro team would be leary of drafting him ~ but nevertheless, he will be a multi-millionaire in a few weeks, because he's got talent and can play football.

yep....and they will probably hire a "baby sitter / guard to keep him out of trouble during the season.

Money well spent - Winston is a ticking time bomb. Better to have a hired hand to defuse the situtation should trouble arise.

[creed 1,635]

"yep....and they will probably hire a "baby sitter / guard to keep him out of trouble during the season."

If there's any $$ left in contract after his civil suit.

[AuburnHardware 1]

He is no dumber or sketchier than Ben Roethlisburger and I would draft him in a heartbeat. Half the guys in the NFL are worse than Jameis.

[war eagle6 0]

Lol, this guy has a childish behavior that keeps getting him in bad situations. And he NEVER accepts blame, it's always somebody else's fault. And like jimbo fisher, people continue to take up for him like nothing ever happened I have no doubt he raped that girl, then turned it around and said it was consensual sex.

[tgr4lfe 220]

"yep....and they will probably hire a "baby sitter / guard to keep him out of trouble during the season."

If there's any $$ left in contract after his civil suit.

I don't think there is gonna be much left. At least, I hope not. Give that girl some sort of justice. I'm sure she'd rather have a metal wire brain brush to scrub his ugly mug on top of her out of her head.

[WarEagle84 0]

"The details disclosed by Winston in that interview were not previously known to the University"

I put that right up there with, "If you like your health plan, you can keep it."

[cooltigger21 0]

"The details disclosed by Winston in that interview were not previously known to the University"

I put that right up there with, "If you like your health plan, you can keep it."

True but to keep the politics out of this I'll use the example of Alabama and T-Town menswear

[Tigerbelle 5,299]

I hope JW has an unsuccessful and very disappointing career in the NFL. I hope he ends up in jail because he should already be there right now.

[cooltigger21 0]

I hope JW has an unsuccessful and very disappointing career in the NFL. I hope he ends up in jail because he should already be there right now.

While he should be in jail now, I honestly want for him to straighten out his life and become the kind of person who is emulated for the right reasons.

[Tigerbelle 5,299]

I hope JW has an unsuccessful and very disappointing career in the NFL. I hope he ends up in jail because he should already be there right now.

While he should be in jail now, I honestly want for him to straighten out his life and become the kind of person who is emulated for the right reasons.

When someone shows you who they are,believe them the first time.,,,,Maya Angelou

He has repeatedly shown us who he is.

And he needs to pay his debt to society just like everyone else would have to do. I would never want anyone to emulate him even if he stays out of trouble from here on out.

[cooltigger21 0]

I hope JW has an unsuccessful and very disappointing career in the NFL. I hope he ends up in jail because he should already be there right now.

While he should be in jail now, I honestly want for him to straighten out his life and become the kind of person who is emulated for the right reasons.

When someone shows you who they are,believe them the first time.,,,,Maya Angelou

He has repeatedly shown us who he is.

And he needs to pay his debt to society just like everyone else would have to do. I would never want anyone to emulate him even if he stays out of trouble from here on out.

I haven't said he has changed. I said I hope he can. It is possible. People can and do change their lives. It will take time and action to prove he has. It's up to him. I have a good friend who spent 20 years in prison. He was an angry drunk deadbeat and sorry as can be. He turned his life around after nearly getting killed in a fight. He's been out for 10 years now. He's married vto a good woman. They have a beautiful 5 year old daughter. There is nothing I wouldn't trust him with. 15 years ago I would have bet any amount of money he would either spend the rest of his life in prison or get killed while committing a crime.

[keesler 5,924]

Something in my conscience won't allow me to wish that a person spend their future in prison or have a dissappointing career. My goodness, people make mistakes and young people make more than the older/wise people. I hope no one judges me today on my actions from 15 yrs ago when I was a young college kid doing stupid things all over the campus of Auburn University.

[cooltigger21 0]

JW has led a privileged life. He's never been told no in all likelihood. You see it all too often. He's about to enter the real world. Now he'll still be given quite a bit of leeway but the NFL leash is much shorter than what he's used to. He's got a lot to learn. They'll provide him with resources to help him succeed on and off. It's up to him whether or not he takes advantage of it.

Whether we like it or not there are young kids that look up to him and want to be like him athletically. If he can become someone worth looking up to off the field, then so much the better. Maybe he can help keep someone from doing what he's done and help steer them in the right direction.

[keesler 5,924]

JW has led a privileged life. He's never been told no in all likelihood. You see it all too often. He's about to enter the real world. Now he'll still be given quite a bit of leeway but the NFL leash is much shorter than what he's used to. He's got a lot to learn. They'll provide him with resources to help him succeed on and off. It's up to him whether or not he takes advantage of it.

Whether we like it or not there are young kids that look up to him and want to be like him athletically. If he can become someone worth looking up to off the field, then so much the better. Maybe he can help keep someone from doing what he's done and help steer them in the right direction.

Here - Here!

It is unfathomable to me to hope and wish that a young person have an unsuccessful career and end up in prison because of idiotic mistakes they made while still in the immature stages of the late teenage/young adult college years.