No One in the Right in Jameis Winston Suspension Saga

A situation that began with the crude and inappropriate words of a 20-year-old in a very public setting—albeit words from a star player with a complicated past—has evolved into a story that could ultimately have an impact well beyond a campus or a single game.

After Florida State officials initially suspended quarterback Jameis Winston for the first half against Clemson, they increased the punishment to a full game. In true late-Friday evening-news-dump fashion, the Seminoles released the following statement confirming that the Heisman winner wouldn't play at all Saturday against their ACC rival.

"Based upon the results of our continuing investigation of Tuesday's incident involving Jameis Winston, we have decided to not play him for the entire game against Clemson on Saturday night," FSU Interim President Garnett S. Stokes and athletic director Stan Wilcox announced in a release [via USA Today].

There’s an important and necessary disclaimer to consider before proceeding any further: This is, without question, a fluid situation that will undoubtedly gain clarity once matters have been sorted out. It may never be a complete picture—not unless video surfaces, and perhaps that moment is coming—although it would appear that the process is only just beginning. 

Shortly after the announcement, CNN’s Rachel Nichols reported that discrepancies in Winston’s story to the school came to light, prompting the university to act in the way it did.

"

Am being told increased penalty for FSU's Jameis Winston came after school discovered he'd not been entirely truthful with them.

— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) September 20, 2014"

Fox Sports’ Bruce Feldman followed this up with some perspective of his own:

"

SOURCE:Winston's suspension due to FSU administration finding discrepency w/ his account of where he was standing when saying theobscenities

— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) September 20, 2014"

What we’re left with, at least for now, is a fair amount of bewilderment in a situation that was already plenty complicated. The constant through all of this has been the inappropriate nature of the actions. Jameis Winston has already apologized for saying the things that he did. In doing so, he has admitted (again) that he must become more self-aware than he is right now.

The BB gun incident, the sexual assault allegation, the crab leg theft and now this latest turn paint a picture of a player unable to avoid the negative spotlight. These situations, which are drastically different in severity and circumstance, are being lumped together as one. Given his turbulent history, this is to be expected. 

Regardless of where you stand on Winston—teetering toward youthful ignorance or something far worse—these negative labels have been earned. His actions are, for someone in his unique, soon-to-be-millionaire position, completely unacceptable.

Although we can debate punishments and how certain situations have been handled in the past—in particular this week—the fault lies in the player. This is the center of the issue and will be until Winston can keep the focus on his ability and off-the-charts potential rather than everything else.

This is where the matter begins and ultimately where it ends.

And yet, given the timing and cryptic nature of the decision, Florida State has suddenly thrown itself into a strange and undefined position of fault.

No, Jimbo Fisher did not stand on top of any table or bench and begin firing off obscenities for no good reason. And no, those making the decisions above Fisher are not doing this simply to make up for missed punishment opportunities.

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

But the administration is either a) reacting to backlash for an event that really snowballed on social media, or b) holding back on the necessary details to defend its decision in the first place.

Given the football news cycle this past week—in particular, how the NFL has been unable to stay ahead of outrage—a punishment reboot due to public perception is by no means out of the question. It would behoove Florida State to avoid a similar PR nightmare, so perhaps the school is simply trying to avoid that kind of loss. 

Or, as the tweets above might indicate, perhaps there is something more to the situation. 

If that’s the case, why not provide the details needed for the context of this sudden, late-Friday change of heart? And if the suspension was made based on a slew of tweets to begin with, how exactly is the school conducting an investigation of this nature? Why not wait until this investigation was completed to make a definitive decision?

These are questions that will likely be answered in time. But by releasing a mysterious statement on the eve of one of the most impactful games of the season, Florida State has allowed the masses to fill in the blanks as it attempts to figure this out itself. This is both reckless and dangerous, especially when you consider the totality of the situation and the player’s history. 

Winston is by no means a victim in any shape or form—and don’t let anyone try and convince you otherwise. But by trying to get ahead of the frenzy, Florida State might have created an entirely different mess altogether.