Winston Winning Awards Now; Learning Legal Fate on Thursday
Redshirt quarterback Jameis Winston of the Florida State Seminoles has been piling up the accolades.
On Tuesday, he was named Rookie of the Year. Today, Winston added two more awards, as ACC Offensive Player of the Year and Player of the Year honors.
Deserved?
This is a question for the ages. People -- notably, the media -- have made a big issue of the looming litigation that may or may not be a part of Winston’s future.
State prosecutor Willie Meggs said that announcement's coming at 2.00pm est on Thursday.
Everyone has an opinion as to whether off-the-field antics should have a bearing on awards that are given on it. And that's not even considering the more significant issue of eligibility to compete if charged; Florida State has recently made it clear there are exceptions to their policy on suspensions for students charged with felonies.
Clearly, it's good to be competing for a national championship.
Still, one thing that can’t be denied is Winston's statisical portfolio:
- He's led the Florida State Seminoles to a No1 BCS ranking, and they're playing for the ACC championship.
- He leads the nation in passing efficiency.
- He tops the ACC in passing yards and touchdowns.
- Florida State ranks second nationally in scoring and seventh in overall offense.
- He's the first Florida State player to win Offensive Player of the Year since 2000, when Chris Weinke did it.
Maybe the latter is a sign of history repeating itself.
For Winston and the Seminoles, one thing seems apparent. 60 minutes stands between them and playing for a national championship, and for Winston, maybe even hoisting the Heisman Trophy.
However, this is all happening under a cloud of uncertainty. It remains to be seen if the Dragnet theme song overshadows the Noles' fight song.