The quarterback for Florida State, Jameis Winston had some explaining to do last month when he was busted shoplifting in Publix. He served 20 hours community service for the incident, and the charge will not show up on his record, but it will show across media sites and the viral social media outlets. Winston can be seen in the video going through the store and picking up seafood, crab legs, crawfish and potentially, butter. Winston just isn’t some new player on the block, he’s actually the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, and the $32.72 shoplifting incident is a smear he does not need.
During his punishment, Winston who also plays for the Seminoles baseball team, was suspended. Winston called it a “moment of youthful ignorance.”
It can be stated Winston paid it all back, especially when one considers the ultimate humiliation he is enduring for shoplifting. Winston entered the Publix, made a seafood order and instead of heading for the registers, he headed for the door and left without paying the bill.
Thursday, the Leon County Sheriff’s Office released the video, and a slew of brand new embarrassment for the star player. A deputy who spoke to Winston stated the young player only realized he didn’t pay once he returned home, but the store states the QB never called them to rectify the matter.
While most can sometimes forget paying for a pack of gum nestling in their hand, it certainly is harder to understand how someone can forget the heavy crab legs pack, they ordered, in their hands.
The video is viral and a firm reminder to Winston and other college players not to get caught in a bad light. Although, it may not appear on their personal record as a crime, the mar of societal judgment is a hard one to wash away.