Jameis Winston Explains Exactly What Happened With The Crab Legs To Jim Harbaugh On Draft Academy
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The whole Draft Academy segment with Jameis was great, but this was easily the most fascinating part. Just sitting man to man with Jim Harbaugh explaining to him how he got hooked up at Publix with free crab legs by some fan of the program that worked there. Pretty sure we all had a feeling this is exactly what was going on, and that it goes on at probably every big campus in the country. But it makes perfect sense why Jameis (and Jimbo) would keep it “covered up” though and just fall on the sword, considering being gifted free food would be an NCAA violation and FSU already had enough scrutiny and heat on them at the time.
Remember that Jimbo’s public statement was that Jameis was used to shopping at Winn Dixie and got confused.
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“I think he did get the message,” Fisher told FOX Sports. “There was no malice involved. It was an honest mistake because when you go back and look at it, after he leaves, he’s actually ordering wings from a local wing place two doors down. He walked back in, and he’s used to going to Winn Dixie (supermarket), where he always paid — and we checked this out. But when he came back, he was in a hurry. They were late. They waited on him. People started coming around him.
“You’re not trying to be malice (sic) when you walk out beside a sheriff carrying the crab legs in your hand. You’re not trying to hide it. There was no malice in what he did. It was an immature mistake, ’cause he walks two doors down and pays for the wings. See, people didn’t know that. He made a mistake but it wasn’t like he was trying to steal something. That’s part of growing up. He got his suspension in baseball, which is very critical to him. And we move on. He’ll educate himself. He’ll learn from that, but Jameis is a tremendous human being. He is a great people person. There is no ill will or malice in his body. There’s really not. [Fox Sports]
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And Jameis just chalked it up as “a moment of youthful ignorance”:
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“As reported in the news, last night I received an adult citation for petit theft from a local supermarket,” the statement read. “I went to the supermarket with the intent to purchase dinner but made a terrible mistake for which I’m taking full responsibility. In a moment of youthful ignorance, I walked out of the store without paying for one of my items.
“I realize that I am in the public spotlight and my conduct needs to be above reproach. Over the last year I’ve learned that my accomplishments on the fields can be a wonderful thing for my school, teammates, friends and family. At the same time, I must realize that my mistakes are magnified and can bring great embarrassment to all those who support me every day.
“I make no excuses for my actions and will learn and grow from this unfortunate situation. I hope and pray my friends and family will view me as the 20 year old young man that I am, and support me through this unfortunate situation. I am grateful to be able to participate in the adult citation program where I will complete community service.” [ESPN]
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Cool little sneak peek at how it all works behind the scenes and the stakes behind each and every seemingly minor mistake a college athlete makes.
PS – “The stone crabs…that’s like the elephant in the room for you.”
Gee are you sure about that Jedd?