NFL

Jameis Winston’s Lack of Intangibles is Turning Off NFL Executives

Getty Images

Getty Images

Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston belongs in the NFL.

He’s got the measurables: 6 foot 4, 230 pounds.

He’s got the tools: Strong arm, solid mobility for his size.

He’s got the credentials: National champion and the youngest ever Heisman Trophy winner. But has he got the intangibles?

“There are so many things that come with the position,” Super Bowl XXII MVP Doug Williams, now a personnel executive for the Washington Redskins, told RantSports. “You’re talking about the face of an organization. You’re talking about leadership and character.

“There’s no question about his (football) ability,” Williams adds. “It’s the character part. The key is, what has he done, and will he do it again?”

To that end, NFL executives are always evaluating “red flags.”

Winston has many: Investigations related to shoplifting, inappropriate use of a BB gun, compensation for autographs and sexual assault.

“It’s not one issue, it’s multiple issues,” says one NFC personnel executive, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “You can live with the stolen crab, but the sexual assault for the face of a franchise?

“No thanks.”

Added one college scouting director, “He’ll go through the wringer.”

Winston has been enabled and protected. His coach, Jimbo Fisher, constantly defends Winston, and there have been several stories suggesting that even local authorities in Tallahassee have gone to great lengths to ensure Winston doesn’t get into serious trouble.

But if Winston doesn’t clean up his act, he could become another talented athlete who squandered his potential.

Adam Jones nearly made that dubious list.

The 6th overall pick out of West Virginia in 2006, Jones had a litany of issues and played just two seasons with the Tennessee Titans. Jones says he’s thankful that camera phones weren’t as prevalent when he was in college and early in his pro career.

“What you used to be able to do,” Jones says, “you can’t do no more.

“He a kid, man. He’s goofing around, and some of the things he’s done have been blown out of proportion and some of them are just dumb ass decisions he’s made. He’s a great talent, and I think he’s a good kid. I just hope he doesn’t blow it, man.”

Former Heisman Trophy winner Bo Jackson reached out to Winston but has turned away from him.

“I really don’t know who is giving this young man guidance,” Jackson said on the Jim Rome Show earlier this month. “If I give you advice on something that I know more about than you… if you can’t take that advice and learn from it, then I’ve got nothing else to do with the situation.

“You’re on your own.”

Williams crossed paths with Winston three times earlier this year at banquets. He was impressed with Winston’s engaging personality.

“He’s personable, smiles, and he knows how to deal with a crowd,” Williams says. “Some of the things that have happened, I’d be lying if I didn’t say it surprised me, after getting to know him a little bit.”

Winston enjoys being around his peers, being in the “in-crowd,” Williams says. But that must change.

“Being under the microscope, there are things he can’t do,” Williams says. “These young guys think they’re invincible.

“I have a 22-year-old son who sometimes tells me, ‘You don’t understand…’ I tell him, ‘When I was your age, I thought my daddy was dumb, too.’ But the older I got, the more I realized my dad had a PhD in common sense.”

A quarterback pioneer, Williams says he was fortunate to have good role models around him: his older brother, his parents, and his coach at Grambling, the legendary Eddie Robinson.

“He preached every day about being good Americans, not going out there and doing crazy stuff and blaming other people. That’s part of the reason I was able to stay away from a lot of the (negative) stuff.”

Here’s the thing: Williams listened.

Will Jameis?

Share Tweet