Will Jameis Winston Be Suspended For Shoving A Referee?
The Jameis Winston shoving incident with a referee on Saturday appears unlikely to result in any disciplinary action for unsportsmanlike conduct against the Heisman Trophy winner.
The ref did not throw a flag on the play, and the Atlantic Coast Conference subsequently deemed it incidental and insignificant contact.
In the game, the Florida State University sophomore quarterback led his undefeated Seminoles team to a 20-17 victory over Boston College; the Seminoles are now 11-0 for the season.
Commenting on the play in question that occurred in the third quarter when the score was tied 17-17, NBC Sports opined that “During Florida State’s win over Boston College, Winston moved an official aside as Florida State was trying to get a play run while the official was allowing Boston College’s defense to substitute. It wasn’t a hard shove and Winston wasn’t penalized, but former NFL head of officiating Mike Pereira says that Winston should have been kicked out of the game.” Winston was running a no-huddle, hurry up offense at the time of the incident.
Describing what happened, Jameis Winston said about the ref that “He was just holding me because he said we had a substitution. It was actually a fast-tempo play, so I was trying to get up under there and let it ride,” ESPN reported.
FSU head coach Jimbo Fisher added that it was just an accident. “I don’t think [Winston] realized it. He was caught up in the excitement of the moment. Hey, you get emotional. He didn’t realize. He thought he could snap the ball… He knew that was his job — get out there and set and snap the ball.”
According to the Orlando Sentinel, the contact may have occurred because “Officials are instructed to stand over the football and allow defenses time to make a substitution. But in this case, the ball was already set and the center judge was standing behind the center, not the football.”
Winston was the team’s signal caller in the Seminoles’ 34-31 victory in the 2014 BCS National Championship Game against the Auburn Tigers, making FSU a perfect 14-0 for the season. He was named offensive MVP in the contest.
Winston is expected to turn pro at the end of this campaign by entering the 2015 NFL Draft. Despite his winning ways on the gridiron, several off-field incidents reportedly may be making some pro teams hesitant insofar as selecting him in the early rounds of the selection process, however.
Do you think either FSU should have been penalized by yardarge or Jameis Winston ejected as a result of the QB apparently shoving a referee during the Boston College game?
[image via Bing]
