Advertisement

Bowden calls Jameis Winston an embarrassment

By Alex Butler
Retiring Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden takes a ride off the field after coming from behind to defeat West Virginia 33-21 in Jacksonville, Florida January 1, 2010. It was coach Bowden's final game. UPI/ Mark Wallheiser
Retiring Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden takes a ride off the field after coming from behind to defeat West Virginia 33-21 in Jacksonville, Florida January 1, 2010. It was coach Bowden's final game. UPI/ Mark Wallheiser | License Photo

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., May 12 (UPI) -- Arguably the most prominent voice in Florida State University football history recently took the time to talk about Jameis Winston. But it wasn't to praise the former Seminoles star.

"I think it's a consensus among Florida State fans and boosters that he was an embarrassment, in a lot of ways, to the university," Former coach Bobby Bowden said Tuesday on "The Paul Finebaum Show". "He won a lot of ball games and was probably one of the best football players that ever attended Florida State but he hurt himself off the field. The good news is he's young enough to get over that.

Advertisement

"... He just can't make those junior high school decisions he made when he was in college."

Bowden coached the Seminoles for 34 seasons from 1976 to 2009. At the time of his last game he had 389 wins, but in 2010 the NCAA upheld a decision to penalize FSU for academic cheating, stripping Bowden of 14 victories, dropping his total to 375. Bowden is second all time in wins behind Joe Paterno.

Advertisement

Bowden also criticized Winston in October.

"Jameis has got to grow up. He does things that kids in grammar school would do, or kids in junior high would do, you know it?," Bowden told ESPN. "I think once he draws the line, and says 'I'm not going to step below this another time,' I think he can do that. But if he don't, he's going to make it mighty tough on himself."

Winston won the Heisman Trophy and a national title in Tallahassee and was taken in April by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. But the embattled Winston was also constantly caught up in chaos during his college days, including: an alleged sexual assault, stealing crab legs from a grocery store and yelling expletives while standing on a table inside the school's student union. Winston recently filed a counterclaim against his sexual assault accuser. The claim seeks damages greater than $75,000 and punitive damages.

Winston signed a four-year, $23.35 million deal that includes a $16.7 million signing bonus in early May.

Advertisement

"I think his draft status has already dropped way down, you know," Bowden said. "But what's amazing to me about him, I don't care what goes on off the field, once he gets under the center, he blocks everything else out. It don't affect the way he plays."

Latest Headlines