I’m probably too late. I was probably late weeks ago. With Notre Dame’s upcoming showdown at #2 Florida State, Irish fans have been working themselves into a frenzy about Jameis Winston and the Seminoles. In typical fashion, this frenzy has almost nothing to do with what happens on the football field, but rather what happens off of the football field.
Irish fans are bewildered and infuriated that Notre Dame has five players currently under suspension for possible honor code violations, and Jameis Winston continues to play quarterback for Florida State- and will this Saturday night.
I don’t spend a whole lot of time in these type of discussions. I don’t spend a lot of time chastising other teams or other players about off the field incidents. The course of time proves me right in that Notre Dame has had its fair share of incidents throughout the years. So, like any rational human being, I try really hard not to be too hypocritical when it comes to these things. I play the academics card, because I didn’t attend Notre Dame, and I don’t generally slam a guy because he gets into a bit of trouble, because I need only remember my own young adulthood to know how some of that happens. I never thought of myself as a bad person, just unlucky and absent-minded.
Jameis Winston is more than just a bad person. He is, in my opinion, a giant douchebag that just so happens to be a bad person as well. There is nothing that he says or does that would make me think otherwise. While a lot of Irish fans are clamoring for Winston to be suspended, I’m glad, for his sake, that he’s playing Saturday night.
Through all of his troubles, Florida State keeps winning. Winston hasn’t missed a moment of gametime over a possible sexual assault, but he did miss the Clemson game because he yelled out some naughty words in public. Something just feels odd about all of this.
I want Jameis Winston to play Saturday night for all of the wrong reasons. I want him to play because I want Jaylon Smith and Sheldon Day to knock his ignorant dick in the dirt. I refuse to get up on a high horse and demand his absence for either the right reason of discipline or the wrong (and weak) reason of having a better chance to win. My reasons feel more high and mighty.
The build up this week is going to be intense. It won’t match the 1993 hype (not even close) but it will have more of an impact on the national title than the 1993 game (which poll voters from that year will agree with whole heartily). At the end of the night, I’m eating crab legs and cussing at people, regardless of what happens.
