FSU to retire Winston's jersey, honor '13 champs
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Andrea Adelson, ESPN Senior Writer
Florida State will retire Jameis Winston‘s jersey in the home finale Saturday against North Alabama as the Seminoles honor the 10th anniversary of the 2013 national champions.
Winston won the Heisman Trophy in 2013 as a redshirt freshman, leading Florida State to a 14-0 record after throwing 40 touchdown passes and setting the national freshman record for passing yards with 4,057.
He also led Florida State to the first College Football Playoff in 2014, with the Seminoles losing to Oregon in the semifinals. Winston passed for 7,964 yards (fourth in FSU history) and 65 touchdowns (second) during his two seasons
“The retirement of Jameis’ jersey will certainly be a great event on our campus,” FSU athletic director Michael Alford said in a statement. “He had a huge impact on Florida State football, and his place as one of our all-time greats is unquestioned. I know we all look forward to seeing his No. 5 becoming a permanent part of Doak Campbell Stadium.”
In 2012, FSU student Erica Kinsman reported that Winston sexually assaulted her. Winston was never criminally charged or found responsible for violating university sexual misconduct policies; the university would pay $950,000 to settle a federal Title IX lawsuit in which Kinsman alleged the school failed to adequately respond to her report. In 2016, Winston reached an undisclosed settlement with Kinsman to end a federal lawsuit she filed against him, as well as a countersuit he filed against her.
Winston was the No. 1 pick of the 2015 NFL draft, taken by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He spent five seasons there and is now the backup quarterback for the New Orleans Saints. He has completed 1,748 passes for 21,941 yards and 139 touchdowns in nine NFL seasons.
He becomes the 11th FSU football player to have his jersey retired, joining Fred Biletnikoff, Ron Sellers, Ron Simmons, Deion Sanders, Charlie Ward, Warrick Dunn, Chris Weinke, Derrick Brooks, Terrell Buckley and Marvin Jones.
Florida State began retiring jerseys, rather than numbers, in 1997.
