Just before 2 p.m., at a press conference in Tallahassee, state attorney William Meggs announced that after a thorough investigation Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston had been cleared of sexual assault accusations.
It wasn’t long before the sideshow elements began to overwhelm news of the decision. It began when NBC Sports Radio tweeted out its confirmation of the news.
https://twitter.com/sundownmotel/status/408674864233328640/
The outlet would later apologize after the tweet was deleted, but the damage was done. Back to the press conference, where Meggs and former state senator Alfred Lawson (standing in the back) were smiling and giggling at certain points. Here’s an edited video of those instances.
The prosecutors already had a perception problem. The accuser’s family had claimed local cops tried to dissuade them from pursuing a case against Winston, which helped explain the 11-month delay between the alleged assault and the case being investigated.
This was the response from ESPN reporter Samantha Ponder.
There was also this type of celebrating going on outside the courthouse.
https://twitter.com/VictorOquendo/status/408686183712292864/
And then came the most ridiculous question of the day — directed at Winston’s attorney, Tim Jansen — asking if the accuser was affiliated with Alabama. The Crimson Tide were competing with Florida State for the national title until they were upset by Auburn on Saturday.