Heading into the 2015 NFL draft, the biggest concerns about former Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston have regarded his maturity. Those concerns weren't helped any on Friday by his attorney, David Cornwell, who said Winston was "not ready to be an NFL player off the field."
Winston's maturity has been questioned because of a handful of off-the-field incidents, including a fellow student accusing him of rape and the theft of crab legs from a grocery store. Cornwell didn't quell any concerns about the maturity of his client when he spoke Friday at a Villanova Law School seminar.
"He's ready to be an NFL player on the field. But he's not ready to be an NFL player off the field," Cornwell said at the seminar Friday, according to a series of tweets from Buzzfeed. "... This league will chew you up, spit you out and keep going. ... We have to assist him growing and developing as a man. And it's not going to be easy. ... If he messes up again, he's done."
Cornwell has been one of Winston's biggest supporters, which adds weight to the remarks he made about Winston. While the remarks certainly didn't help Winston, Cornwell didn't appear to be attacking his client. On the contrary, Cornwell appeared to be using his client as an example to prove a larger point: Kids making the leap from college to the NFL often still have a lot of growing up to do.
"I don't see why it's controversial that a 20-year-old doesn't have the life experience to navigate the treacherous water of being a professional athlete without availing themselves of the resources available to them," Cornwell told Buzzfeed. "I don't think he's unique. I don't think anyone is ready."
Winston is projected to be the first overall pick of the draft and will likely end up with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
