The day before Jameis Winston is expected to be awarded college football’s top honor, the redshirt freshman phenom defended himself against the allegations he sexually assaulted a former Florida State student last December.
Smiling throughout a pair of lengthy sit-downs with reporters Friday afternoon at the Marriott in midtown in advance of Saturday’s Heisman Trophy presentation, Winston discussed the allegations and his decision to not comment on the matter until now.
“I knew I did nothing wrong,” he said. “I knew I could respect the process and I would eventually be vindicated. … My parents brought me up right.”
Winston, who has led the Seminoles to the No. 1 ranking and a spot in the BCS championship game Jan. 6 against Auburn, was cleared of any wrongdoing by the Florida State Attorney’s Office last week after an investigation. On Friday, however, Patricia Carroll, the attorney for the woman who accused Winston, asked for Florida’s attorney general to independently examine the rape investigation, saying it was full of question marks.
“It was stressful, but you got to look forward and I had to focus on the objectives we have as a team,” said Winston, an Alabama native, who set freshmen records this fall by throwing for 3,820 yards and 38 touchdown passes. “There’s a lot you can learn from, but I love my college football experiences.”
The other finalists either declined to comment on the matter or said Winston’s off-field issues shouldn’t factor into the Heisman voting.
Auburn running back Tre Mason did say the Heisman is about, “being a great person, also. I would say it shouldn’t just be off stats,” though he politely sidestepped a question directly regarding Winston. Last year’s Heisman winner, Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, has dealt with his own off-the-field problems — though not nearly to the extent of what Winston has been accused of doing — and offered his support.
“To see him at such a young age be able to put his head down and focus on his teammates and where they are headed, I do give him a lot of credit,” Manziel said. “With all the scrutiny and everything that he’s [been] under, I feel like he has done a tremendous job on focusing on his team and on his family and really what matters most to him.”
Manziel was reflective about his own experience, how different his life became after winning the Heisman, all the attention he garnered and intense media exposure that followed. He has yet to make a decision about his future, though it seems as if he’s leaning toward entering the NFL Draft. Manziel still has one college game left, the Chick-fil-A Bowl against Duke on New Year’s Eve, and is holding out hope he can become the first repeat Heisman winner.
“Me being the way I am, a little bit different, is what makes me special,” Manziel said of his running and throwing ability. “With my instincts and where I’ve progressed as a passer, hopefully I’ll be able to make that jump.”
Winston is seen as a prohibitive favorite to win the crown. He topped the final HeismanPundit.com straw poll, considered the most trusted gauge of voter sentiment, landing seven of 10 possible first-place votes and a season-most 26. Manziel topped the final poll last year.
After Manziel became the first freshman to win the Heisman last year, it looks as if first-year players will win it in consecutive seasons.
The other finalists — Mason (junior); Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron (senior); Boston College running back Andre Williams (senior), the first 2,000-yard rusher since Connecticut’s Donald Brown in 2008; and Northern Illinois’ Jordan Lynch (senior), who set a quarterback record by running for 1,881 yards and throwing for 2,676 yards and 23 scores — are vastly more experienced.
Mason emerged late in the season, putting together seven 100-yard performances in his last eight games and running for 304 yards and four touchdowns in the SEC championship game last weekend. Just getting an invite to the city for the weekend meant a great deal to him, having grown up in Brooklyn before moving to Florida at the age of 10 and always dreaming of being a part of the festivities.
“I’m in disbelief I’m here today after saying that as a child,” he said. “It is pretty surreal.”