FSU's Winston expected to play despite hearing; TPD takes action
Game day Saturday was again overshadowed by Jameis Winston's off-the-field issues after news broke late Friday that Florida State University's quarterback will finally appear before a university disciplinary body for a hearing about a sexual encounter with a coed in December 2012.
Meanwhile, the Tallahassee Police Department, which investigated the sexual assault case, was criticized in a high-profile article by The New York Times for how it handled the Winston case and others involving FSU football players.
The converging stories were the latest in the saga for Winston, who has battled a number of non-football issues, and the police department. State Attorney Willie Meggs did not charge Winston last December after TPD reopened the case nearly a year after the incident occurred.
Despite the news about Winston, it's still unclear how the new development will affect the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and the Seminoles' so-far undefeated season.
FSU coach Jimbo Fisher said on Saturday following his team's 38-20 win at Syracuse that he expects Winston to play in next weekend's nationally-televised game against No. 5 Notre Dame at Doak Campbell Stadium.
Winston echoed his coach's sentiment, though the quarterback didn't take any questions about the issues he's facing.
ESPN reported Friday that Winston will take part in a formal hearing related to the December 2012 allegation by a student that he sexual assaulted her.
University spokeswoman Browning Brooks confirmed with for the Tallahassee Democrat Saturday the existence of a formal hearing, which will determine whether Winston violated FSU's Student Conduct Code and, if so, what discipline he would face. It's not known when the hearing will take place or even whether Winston has yet been formally charged.
Brooks did not respond to that question Saturday, but ESPN cited a letter sent to Winston and his attorney from interim FSU president Garnett Stokes and vice president for student affairs Mary Coburn that said Winston "might" be charged with as many as four violations of FSU's code of conduct, including two counts related to sexual conduct.
"We will not be disclosing the charges (to adhere to student privacy laws)," Brooks said.
FSU's Student Conduct Code says students are given a written notice of their charges with sufficient details of the facts against them so they can mount a defense. They are also invited to attend an information session to review the process and his or her rights. Notice of a formal hearing will occur at least five class days prior to the hearing, the code says.
"This hearing is not to determine if there will be a conduct code review," Brooks told the Democrat Saturday. "But rather this is the hearing."
The ESPN report also noted that three people from outside the university are willing to hear the case. Winston and the woman can each remove one person from taking up the case.
"The use of an outside hearing officer is allowed under FSU procedures," Brooks said. "Out of fairness to the students involved, we are exercising this option to remove any doubt about the integrity of the eventual outcome."
The July arrest of Jesus "Bobo" Wilson on a felony charge of grand theft of a motor vehicle, which was previously reported in the Tallahassee Democrat, along with several other police incidents involving FSU football players, were mentioned in a report released late Friday evening by The New York Times. The Times story titled, "At Florida State, Football Clouds Justice," detailed multiple legal run-ins and how the university and the police department conducted the investigations.
The heavily detailed Times piece prompted immediate action by the police department with some of its findings.
TPD Chief Michael DeLeo requested an internal investigation into the Wilson case be opened Friday after there was a "serious allegation" reported that an officer tried to influence a citizen not to file charges.
"Due to the allegation in this case, that an officer acted inappropriately, the chief has requested an internal affairs investigation," Northway said in an email.
The Times also reported DeLeo changed a department policy due to a delay in a June BB-gun shooting case that included Wilson and teammates Dalvin Cook and Trey Marshall. The three players and another man were all charged earlier this month, according to the Times. All four face a misdemeanor criminal mischief charge, according to Leon County court records.
The Democrat does not routinely report on misdemeanor arrests.
"(DeLeo) has stated that this timeframe delay is not acceptable," Northway wrote in an email to Times reporters. "He has instituted a new policy wherein all cases are reviewed by supervisors and not allowed to remain dormant without a viable explanation."
Northway provided the Democrat with a sampling of nine other FSU players TPD has arrested since 2006. Northway said the agency has made several more as well.
"I am proud of the men and women of the Tallahassee Police Department and as my record reflects, if our police officers make mistakes, we immediately investigate and hold them accountable," DeLeo said. "We owe that to our citizens and make changes when changes need to be made."