The great problem with defenders of Jameis Winston, all the way back to the fall of 2013 when the succession of questionable episodes began, was that they were asking you to give the guy the benefit of the doubt in the face of evidence that suggested he deserved almost none.
So now here we are with a new revelation, Jameis saying he was "hooked up" with those crab legs.
Winston, one of six players being profiled before the 2015 NFL draft in "Draft Academy," told Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch he was given the crab legs and crawfish as a hook-up from a store employee.
"Well, a week before it was my buddy's birthday, and we had got a cake and we met a dude that worked inside Publix and he said, 'Hey, anytime you come in here, I got you.' So that day we just walked out, and he hooked us up with that," Winston told Harbaugh.
"And when I went in to get crab legs, did the same thing and he just gave them to me and I walked out. Someone from inside the store had told the security that I didn't pay for them, and that's how the whole thing started."
You just know Jimbo Fisher loved seeing this when he got to the office yesterday morning. He was scheduled to go before the media jackals on an ACC teleconference a few hours later, and this was blood in the water.
Speaking of the ACC, shame on them for cutting off follow-up questions about this on the aforementioned teleconference. When a football coach spends so much time assailing anyone who doesn't think Jameis is a super swell guy, and when the previous story you've given for the crab legs thing comes into question, you gotta stand there and take the heat.
Sorry, but this quote from Jimbo doesn't exactly comprehensively address the issue:
“If he says it is [the truth,] I guess it is."
Boy, that's some swell logic there.
If Jimbo chatted with Jameis yesterday, guessing the dialogue went about like the expletive-laced commands Jimbo was giving his quarterback late in the massacre against Oregon when he was telling him to just shut up.
Oh, and Jameis' revised account of the crab legs thing was news to Publix.
“Our policy calls for all customers, including our associates, to pay for all merchandise. We are not in the practice of allowing food to exit our store without payment. When the incident originally occurred with Mr. Winston, we did conduct an internal investigation to ensure that our policies were being adhered to. At the end of the investigation, we were confident that our policies were being executed by the store management team, and that we are not in the practice of giving away merchandize to FSU athletes or any other customers. If Mr. Winston has new information that he would like to share with Publix, that is pertinent to this incident, we would ask that he contact us directly. We would take appropriate action, including reopening an investigation.”
A few Thursday links:
-- Dabo Swinney and Bobby Petrino sound off on satellite camps.
"It's a loophole people are taking advantage of and I think it's something that needs to be addressed," Swinney said. "I don't think it's a good thing because ultimately what happens is instead of having camps, you're having combines. I think there's enough of that. My philosophy is we put a tremendous amount of emphasis on our campus here at Clemson. I want to get guys on this campus. That's the best part of everything that we do from a recruiting standpoint. So we can go out on the road and recruit and evaluate and do the things we need to do, but we want to get guys here to Clemson. Because we know if they come, we've got a good shot from a recruiting standpoint. It's something that will probably come to a head one way or another."
Added Petrino: "I'm not in favor of the satellite camps ... but if it continues, if they don't restrict the satellite camps, then probably we need to be able to do what everybody else can do. The idea is to bring young men to your campus, help them get better in the game of football and that's the one thing I don't like as much about camps as I used to. It's more about recruiting now and one-day camps, half-a-day camps, where it used to be about bringing a young man in and help him get better so he can be more productive in the fall. The purpose of camps has changed quite a bit."
-- State legislators give Clemson the initial OK to purchase a big 'ole jet airliner.
No taxpayer money is involved. But state law requires any agency to get approval to buy or long-term lease a plane. Final approval is needed from the Budget and Control Board, which meets next week.
"I think it's a wise decision," as long as it doesn't increase student fees, said Senate President Pro Tem Hugh Leatherman, R-Florence, the committee's chairman, who also sits on the budget board.
Athletics Director Dan Radakovich repeatedly assured the 10-member panel of senators and House members that the jet would not result in any increase to students. IPTAY will buy the jet, while athletics revenue — primarily ticket sales — will pay for operation and maintenance costs, he said.
The athletic department expects to spend $710,000 yearly on costs including an additional pilot's salary, insurance, fuel and engine maintenance, assuming the jet flies 365 hours annually.
That compares to the roughly $300,000 yearly that Radakovich said the department has spent on private charters since 2013.
-- In Dallas, Chad Morris replaces June Jones' decade-old camera with "freakin' drones."
While Morris isn’t directly responsible for posting the clips, he is responsible for overhauling the entire video department— or what former coach June Jones considered a video department.
According to a report from ESPN, the video department under Jones consisted of one camera that was nearly a decade old.
“Now we’ve got two freakin’ drones flying around at practice,” Morris said.
Cool video here:
-- In New Jersey, this article says "Clemson linebacker" Vic Beasley would work for the Jets or Giants.
In this era of specialization there aren't a lot of players who would fit as easily in a 3-4 defense as they would a 4-3.
Clemson's Vic Beasley is one of them.
Beasley, expected to be a top 10 pick in the draft, would look just as good pass rushing from the outside in the Jets 3-4, as he would lining up on the weak side for the Giants in their 4-3 scheme.
"He's the most explosive pass rusher I've seen in some time,'' a NFC executive, whose team plays a 4-3, said. "He knows how to get to the quarterback. He'll have to get a little stronger to play every down in a 4-3, but he can do it. I don't have a problem with that, not at all.''
Most feel, however, Beasley would do wonders for a 3-4 team such as the Jets, who have the No. 6 overall pick. Washington, at No. 5, also uses a 3-4 scheme.
"He's a 3-4 guy,'' said a scout whose team employs the 3-4. "Let's get out it there that he can't play a 4-3 and maybe he'll drop. Seriously, this guy is good enough to do whatever you want him to do.''
-- And Todd McShay has the Giants passing on Beasley.
The name McShay leaves out in his explanation may be the biggest surprise if he's passed over. Beasley is considered by many a Top 10 prospect. One NFL scout didn't think he'd get out of the Top 5. His speed and pass-rushing ability would immediately give the Giants' linebacking corps a different look.
Regardless, the way McShay has this draft breaking would be advantageous to the Giants at No. 9. Ray and Gregory are the two wild cards for them because they don't seem to have a fit in their defense. It works in the Giants benefit if they're selected before they pick.
And finally, thank y'all for your patience this week as this old dog learned some new tricks to get the blog rolling again.
LW
