With the 2015 NFL draft around the corner, some of the talk has centered on the off-the-field behavior of projected No. 1 pick Jameis Winston. According to Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher, his former starting quarterback has been portrayed unfairly in the media and is the victim of character assassination.
Winston's character has been scrutinized since December 2013, when the allegations he raped a fellow student first emerged. He was later cleared of any wrong doing, but that didn't stop him from eventually making headlines again for other off-the-field incidents, such as stealing crab legs and shouting something vulgar in the middle of campus, the latter of which earned him a one-game suspension in September.
Fisher, though, believes Winston is a good person and the negativity attached to the quarterback's name is the result of the media's attempt to assassinate his character.
"Why is there a question (about Winston's character)?" Fisher said Saturday, via CBS Sports. "Because of the character assassination that he's lived through in the media, and the (misinformation) and half-truths that have been printed. What amazes me about this whole process is the un-professionalism of a lot of major newspapers, and a lot of major outlets that did not report the whole truth of the situation and only slanted it for their own opinion."
Fisher continued his defense of Winston, dismissing the former Heisman winner's mistakes as the same silly ones any 20-year-old might make. The only difference, Fisher said, was Winston's mistakes were magnified because of the national spotlight on him.
"Jameis has great character," Fisher said. "Did he make mistakes? Yes. Did he make silly mistakes? Yes. I mean, he's still a 20-year-old kid. He and Johnny Manziel are the only two who have ever gone through that pressure of winning a Heisman (as an underclassman). Plus, he won a national championship. No one had ever done what he had done.
"Some of his mistakes come from wanting to be normal. ... He likes being seen as a normal student, and not Jameis Winston. ... That got him in trouble by making some poor choices. ... It wasn't from malice, but just from a little bit of immaturity. He's still just 20 years old. He'll grow through that."
Despite the questions about Winston's maturity, he's expected to be selected first overall in the draft. Earlier this month, a report indicated Winston may watch the draft from home at the request of the NFL.
