Lawyer: Pressure on Jameis
JAMEIS WINSTON may have what it takes to take the field as an NFL player. But the troubled Florida State quarterback has a lot of growing up to do before he can handle the offthe-field pressures that come with NFL stardom, veteran sports lawyer David Cornwell said Friday.
“He’s ready to be an NFL player on the field. But he’s not ready to be an NFL player off the field,” Cornwell said, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. “We have to assist him in growing and developing as a man.”
Cornwell, who represented Winston when he was accused of sexual assault, clarified his comments after speaking about Winston at Villanova University’s Moorad Sports Law Symposium, saying no rookie is fully prepared for the challenges presented by life in the NFL.
“Jdubb is not unique,” Cornwell said on Twitter. “Issue of readiness is why we have #NFL rookie symposium n the resources of #NFL player engagement. Jdubb will b fine.”
Most NFL rookies, however, haven’t faced the type of scrutiny Winston faces as he prepares for the NFL draft that begins later this month.
Winston was accused of sexual assault in 2012, and while Tallahassee police did not pursue criminal charges, the investigation has been widely criticized by victim advocates and others who say police and university administrators seemed more interested in protecting the Heisman Trophy winner than seeking justice. The university is now the target of a federal Title IX investigation to determine if it properly handles reports of sexual assault.
Winston was later accused of shoplifting $32 worth of crab legs from a Florida supermarket. He was also suspended for one game after he climbed on a table at the FSU student union and shouted a vulgar comment about women.
“It’s not going to be easy,” Cornwell said at the Villanova sports law conference. “If he messes up again, he’s done.”
Cornwell said Winston, considered the top quarterback in the 2015 NFL draft, suggested his recent meeting with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
Goodell told Winston to “aspire” for the league’s Walter Payton Man of the Year award,” Cornwell said.