Bobby Bowden on Jameis Winston: ‘He was an embarrassment’ for Florida State

By Cheri Cheng - 13 May '15 17:16PM

It is safe to say that many people do not approve of quarterback Jameis Winston’s past actions.

“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," legendary former Florida State coach, Bobby Bowden, said on ESPN's "The Paul Finebaum Show."

Winston, the former Heisman Trophy winner, was selected first overall in the 2015 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Despite his impressive football resume, Winston’s off-the-field issues have continued to hurt his character.

“He won a lot of ball games, probably one of the best football players that ever attended Florida State, but he hurt himself off the field,” Bowden added. "The good news is he's young enough to get over that. You know that? But he's gotta do that. He just can't make those junior high decisions he made when he was in college."

Winston was accused of rape in 2012 by Erica Kinsman, a former Florida State student. Kinsman filed a lawsuit in mid-April, just weeks before the start of the draft. The lawsuit claimed that Winston raped her and left her with emotional damages. In response to the lawsuit, Winston has field a counterclaim.

Aside from the sexual harassment claim, Winston was also cited for shoplifting crab legs from a grocery store in college. On top of that incident, Winston was suspended one football game for yelling an obscene comment while standing on a table on campus.

In the interview, Bowden was asked if he thought current head coach Jimbo Fisher dealt with Winston’s off-field issues well.

He stated, “[Winston] could have been suspended a bit more for his actions, but Jim is faced with what all head coaches face and that is having a great player and trying to save him through problems. ... He did a pretty doggone good job of getting Winston through his career at Florida State University, although a lot of people probably were not happy with it."

Bowden was the head coach of the Seminoles from 1976 to 2010.