Tomahawk Nation is Wrong: Jameis Winston Was Offensive. Period.

Bud Elliott of SB Nation’s Tomahawk Nation tried last night to paint a “sane and rational” perspective of the latest Jameis Winston incident.  Of course, he’s writing for a Florida State fan site, which clearly slants his perspective.  But the following statement that he highlighted is so, so wrong, it needs to be called out.

Illegal? No. Wrong? Maybe. Offensive? To some. A bad decision? Absolutely.

He’s right, in that it’s not illegal and a bad decision by the Florida State quarterback.

But it was wrong to jump up on a table in the campus union and yell what he did.  (Warning, offensive language.)

Why?  Because it’s patently offensive. Not to some… but to most people.

Was he likely just repeating an internet meme?  Clearly…but that still doesn’t make it OK or make it any less offensive.

So let’s stop with the “poor Jameis Winston” lament, Florida State fans. He’s the one who made a spectacle of himself in public by jumping up on a table and yelling something that offensive.  Would we be talking about it if weren’t Jameis Winston?  Maybe, maybe not.  But it’s not like the Heisman winner doesn’t have enough baggage. Crab legs.  Allegations of sexual assault.  Saying outrageous things at the Manning’s passing camp this summer.  The list could go on and on.

Will Jameis Winston turn pro after this season?  Probably.  But don’t think for a second that the NFL won’t heavily scrutinize Winston after the way this season has started. The NFL is learning a very hard lesson that character counts.  It doesn’t matter how talented you are on the field.  I don’t see any NFL team being too eager to bring in a quarterback like Winston, barring some sort of sudden turnaround in his behavior. Someone might take a chance on him, and try to see if they can somehow reform him.

And that’s something that Florida State should be trying to do.  But a “first half” suspension against Clemson isn’t going to do that.  Not when the ‘Noles will give Winston a chance to make up any ill-effects in the second half.

If anything, it might even enbolden Winston, as the likely consequence is that he’ll learn that Florida State needs him more than they are concerned about his repeated transgressions.