Jameis Winston
In Defense of Winston, as if he needs it.
Donald Trump spins his story by saying that he started with only $10,000 and built himself into one of the largest real estate moguls to ever exist. However, he leaves out that his father was a construction magnate. If he were not able to capitalize from his father’s success, $10,000 would have meant nothing. Yet, his success is lauded as one of the great American success stories. The truth is that in America, there are very few people that actually start from nothing and achieve mega stardom. This pool of people would be even more limited if these people had to navigate any of the obstacle to reach success before they were 21 years of age.
This is exactly what Jameis Winston has done. He is one of the rarest athletes to ever exist, and through withering schemes to thwart his success, he has succeeded in making something of nothing. There is not a single group of elite athletes that has not had to fend off questions of improprieties with women and other grand offenses. Contrast this with Winston. There was never any proof of his guilt, and the other things he did would have been done by a majority of teenagers. Yes, teenagers. Winston is not a grown man, but he is learning at lightning speed.
Recent Heisman winner and media favorite Marcus Mariota had the press, but Jameis Winston got the call first. The vast machinery that the NFL has to vet the athletes that will be gracing its ranks considers him solid also. This is especially true after the spate of bad news that the NFL has endured over the past year in this area. You can bet good money that they have upped their vetting game. In any case, Winston is in familiar territory. Although this may seem counterintuitive, it is not.
Winston was only a freshman when he carried one of the most storied programs in college football history and restored them to their proper dominance. His value in recruiting alone will be worth millions to the university, as if the Heisman and National Championships were not enough. There are plenty of valid reasons to hate athletes. Cheering for the good and loathing the bad is one of the releases that sports provides. So hate him because he is the opponent, and not because of people’s glaring biases.
