Archie Griffin Weighs in on Jameis Winston, State of Ohio State Football

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The only man in the history of the award to win it twice, Archie Griffin's name is synonymous with the Heisman Trophy.

So when he sees the the controversy that's surrounded the award's recent string of recipients—most notably Florida State's Jameis Winston—the Ohio State great unsurprisingly has an opinion.

Speaking to Bleacher Report as a part of his promotion of the Wendy's High School Heisman, Griffin touched on a number of topics, including his thoughts on Winston, the state of college football and the direction of his alma mater. One of the faces of college football history, Griffin has stayed in touch with the sport's happenings—both good and bad—and isn't shy to share his thoughts.

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Per its official website, the Heisman Memorial Trophy annually recognizes the outstanding college football player whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence. But dating back to the NCAA's investigation into Cam Newton in 2010 and continuing with the autograph saga of 2012 winner Johnny Manziel, college football's most prestigious award seems to have coincided with controversy.

Most recently, it's been Winston who's found his name in the news for the wrong reasons, as the reigning Heisman Trophy winner was suspended for the Seminoles' Sept. 20 clash with Clemson after he shouted vulgarities while standing on a table at the FSU student union. This was just the latest incident in a string of bizarre behavior from Winston, who was accused but not charged in a sexual assault investigation in 2013, and cited for stealing $32.72 worth of crab legs from a local grocery store in the offseason.

Having met and interacted with Winston through a string of Heisman functions, Griffin admitted to being disappointed in the sophomore signal-caller's actions, but he also noted that it's not too late for him to bounce back from his indiscretions.

“I don’t like to see that. I’ve met Jameis. He’s a fun-loving guy," Griffin said. "He likes to have a good time—really, really likes to have a good time, have fun and he brings a smile to a lot of people’s faces and I hate to see those type of things going on in his life because he’s not a bad young man.

"You hate to see that happen. But things like that do happen and you’ve gotta move on, and I hope Jameis does that and really learns from the mistakes that he’s already made.”

Gerry Broome/Associated Press

Despite having won the award in 1974 and 1975, Griffin, like all other recipients, only gets one vote at the conclusion of each regular season. “Quite frankly, I wish I got two votes. I only got one vote. I shouldn’t be saying this, but I should be trying to get them to give me two votes because I do have two trophies," he joked.

But while Griffin's influence on the Heisman Trophy is limited to his annual vote, he does admit to taking character into consideration before casting his ballot. For somebody whose name is so closely associated with the trophy, the current president and CEO of The Ohio State University Alumni Association wants the winner to stand for more than just being a great football player.

"I do weigh that in when I’m looking for the winner of the trophy," Griffin said. "I want the person to be a good representative of the trophy. So yeah, I look at what they do on the football field, but at the same time, I look at how they’re conducting themselves in society, because they represent the trophy.”

With several other voters sharing the same belief, it appears as though Griffin's status as college football's only two-time winner of the Heisman is safe for at least another season. Nearing the midway point of the season, Winston's name is all but absent from both ESPN.com's and CBSSports.com's Heisman watch lists.

And although it's his defining achievement, Griffin claims that he doesn't root to remain the trophy's only two-time recipient. In fact, the Columbus, Ohio, native says that not only would he embrace company sharing his elite status, but he expects it sometime soon.

“I would welcome somebody. And quite frankly, I’ve always felt that if I can win it twice, I know there’s somebody else out there that’ll win it twice and I think it’ll be done. I don’t know when it will be done—I thought it would’ve been done by now," Griffin said. "I mean, when you think of the fact that the trophy’s been given to freshmen and folks who have to stick around for a while, there’s a real possibility that it’ll happen.”

Associated Press

Change in college football hasn't only been evident in the voting patterns of the Heisman, which has been awarded to five freshmen or sophomores since Tim Tebow became the first underclassman recipient of the trophy in 2007. With the College Football Playoff coming into effect this season and the verdict of the Ed O'Bannon lawsuit threatening the NCAA model, the sport looks a lot different today than it did when Griffin was running rampant on Big Ten defenses 40 years ago.

And that's just fine with him. Rather than wax poetic about back in his day, the only player to ever start in four Rose Bowls sees the evolution of college football as a positive, especially from his perspective as a fan.

"From an NCAA standpoint, they’re making some moves that should’ve been made a long time ago," he said. "I’m glad to see that players will be getting a stipend. I’m glad to see these schools are loosening up and trying to make these scholarships for the players a four-year deal and not having the players have to sign scholarships after every year and making them one-year scholarships. I think that’s good for the players and something that the players wanted and should have. 

"College football’s in good shape and now with the playoff system, a four-team playoff, it’s in even better shape because it’s giving people what they want to see, and that’s more of a true national champion.”

Jay LaPrete/Associated Press

As for his beloved Buckeyes, Griffin finds himself encouraged by the direction of the program in its third season under Urban Meyer.

After enduring back-to-back losses to close 2013 and an early-season defeat at the hands of Virginia Tech this year, Ohio State appears to have found its footing offensively with freshman quarterback J.T. Barrett, which should bode well for the Buckeyes as they enter Big Ten play with this weekend's matchup against Maryland.

"We had a time in there the last couple of games of last season where we didn’t do well and then early this season we lost to Virginia Tech at home, which certainly was a downer. But I think the trajectory is up and this team is getting better every week," Griffin said.

"I’ve been impressed with J.T. Barrett, our quarterback, I think he’s done a fabulous job this year. He’s really, really adapted to this offense and I think he’s doing a great job of leading this offense. When you consider the fact that we replaced 80 percent of our offensive line, you gotta think this team is really on the move."

Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Ohio State Lead Writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes obtained firsthand. All recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.