Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston avoided having charges form a state attorney’s office levied against him Thursday, but this was not at all a surprise for his attorney. Tim Jansen, speaking with the media outside a Florida courthouse, said he knew from the beginning his client, the Heisman Trophy leader guiding his team to a potential ACC championship and a spot in the BCS championship, would not be charged with any crime.
“I believed from day one, in December, that this was an act on consensual act between Mr. Winston and a young woman” Jansen said. “We believed it in December, we believed it in February and we believe it today.”
According to Jansen, Winston maintained all along he had done nothing wrong, at least in the legal sense. Being exonerated of charges at this point in time allows Winston to avoid a suspension. Winston and Florida State take on Duke in the ACC Championship Game this weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina. A win likely lock up a spot in the BCS Championship Game in January. Had Winston been charged, he would have likely been suspended until the legal process played out in full.