Jamie Miller: Jameis Winston deserves a harsher penalty for vulgar statement

Another day, another Jameis Winston controversy.

This misadventure isn’t as egregious as the allegation of sexual assault made against Florida State University’s Heisman Trophy winning quarterback in December 2012. He also has been accused of stealing soda at a Burger King in 2013 and crab legs from a Tallahassee Publix a few months ago.

Now, he is accused of standing on a table in the student union and repeating a vulgar online meme. NBC reports that it is unlikely that his words were directed at anyone in particular and that Winston meant it as a joke.

The university announced Wednesday that Winston would be benched for the first half of the game against Clemson on Saturday.

My prediction is that if another male student jumped on a student union table and yelled, “F**k her right in the p***y,” that he would be charged with some sort of sex crime.

In light of what is going on with the NFL, a suspension for one half of a game just doesn’t seem like FSU is taking violence against women seriously.

While the public wonders if athletes are above the law, skeptics don’t have to look much further than FSU to see the answer. Remember, the local State Attorney’s Office didn’t open an investigation into the alleged sexual assault until nearly a year has passed.

At a press conference Wednesday, Winston apologized “to the university, to my coaches and to my teammates” and called his behavior “selfish.”

There are more investors in a university than just football boosters. If FSU is serious about attracting world-class researchers who are women, or major corporations that invest in research, they need to take decisive action against this kind of behavior. One half of one game does not seem to be enough.

Jamie Miller is a Sarasota-based political consultant who has worked on six statewide campaigns and is a former executive director for the Republican Party of Florida. While he is an avid Gator fan, he has been seen at FSU games supporting the Seminoles during games that do not involve his alma mater. Column courtesy of Context Florida.