Civil Case Against FSU Will Hang over Jameis Winston

INDIANAPOLIS — Jameis Winston's legal worries are not over. Not yet. Not by a long shot.

No, Winston will not go to jail. But the civil lawsuit filed last month against Florida State by the woman who accused Winston of raping her may still be in play well into Winston's rookie season—and possibly beyond.

No, it will not prevent Winston from being taken first overall in the draft. But it's not a trivial concern.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are on record saying there is nothing they have learned about Winston thus far that troubles them or would prevent them from selecting him. The Buccaneers love Winston, and it doesn't sound like any of this will sway them (though teams have publicly bluffed about how much they love a guy many times before), but it remains a significant issue.

I'm told by a team official with knowledge of the situation that this lawsuit is definitely something they have been monitoring and will continue to monitor in the days leading up to the draft.

The civil suit alleges that Florida State failed to follow federal Title IX laws upon becoming aware of the rape allegation.

One of the attorneys for the accuser, John Clune, of the Boulder, Colorado-based firm Hutchinson Black and Cook, said in an email conversation with Bleacher Report that Winston cannot avoid being deposed for the lawsuit.

"It's going to happen, period," he wrote.

There is also a possibility (emphasis on possibility) that Winston could face civil recriminations over the civil action.

That's a lot of ifs and maybes that could add up to nothing. Or they could present a series of distractions for a rookie who will already face the normal rookie distractions.

The state of the NFL right now factors into this, too. Winston, who is expected to speak with the media Friday, is entering an NFL that is trying to become the No More League. And he's doing it while facing ugly accusations and with a civil case staring him in the face.

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One of the key parts of the lawsuit against FSU is these two paragraphs:

"

The FSU Athletics Department called meetings involving high-ranking FSU Athletics Department and football officials, Winston, and Winston's lawyer. On information and belief, head football coach James "Jimbo" Fisher ("Fisher") and Senior Associate Athletics Director Frances "Monk" Bonasorte ("Bonasorte") became aware of the rape accusations against Winston at that time. The FSU Athletics Department chose to violate school policy and not report to the FSU administration that their star recruit had been identified as the suspect in the December 7, 2012 rape investigation. This deliberate concealment of student-on-student sexual harassment to protect the football program deprived Plaintiff of her rights under Title IX and caused substantial damages. ...

... For the next eleven months, FSU did nothing to investigate Plaintiff's report of rape while the FSU Athletics Department continued to keep the incident a secret. Despite Plaintiff's report to the FSU Police and the FSU Athletics Department's knowledge of the suspect's identity, no one at FSU conducted any investigation into the matter. Winston, meanwhile, was named starting quarterback of the football team and, in the fall of 2013, led FSU in the pursuit of a national championship.

"

Florida State denied these accusations and cleared Winston in a code of conduct hearing.

Again, none of this will prevent a team from picking Winston high—if not first overall—in the draft, but teams are considering that these legal issues will be with him for months.

It's not over for Winston. Not yet. Not even close.

Mike Freeman covers the NFL for Bleacher Report.