Jameis Winston Can't Get Out Of His Own Way

The continuing saga of Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston is now in the midst of yet another bump in the road for both the reigning Heisman trophy and his school, the defending national champions. That's not what either needs as they get ready to host Notre Dame on Saturday night.

Florida State opened up as a -13.5 favorite for the game, but Winston's potential absence due to an autograph controversy took the game off the board of a number of Las Vegas casinos on Tuesday. The signal caller is expected to play, but the line has been adjusted downward to -10 on many boards.

This latest mess involves reports of as many as two thousand pieces of memorabilia signed by Winston, a situation that parallels last year's case of former Texas A&M (and now Cleveland Brown) quarterback Johnny Manziel. In that case, Manziel was given the roundly-criticized penalty of sitting out the first half of the Aggies opener.

If this were the first time Winston had been embroiled in a sticky situation during his time with the Seminoles, it might be cause for some to rail about how college players should be paid, etc. The lack of discipline from all sides, including Florida State, the NCAA and the law itself, has seemingly emboldened Winston to keep doing stupid things.

Winston will most likely to enter next year's NFL Draft, but his judgment on even that might be called into question. If ever there was a year that NFL teams closely looked at a player's character entering the draft, it's this year. Scandals involving domestic violence and child abuse have knocked Roger Goodell and Co. on their heels, and teams might be leery of using a top pick on someone with this off-the-field "resume":

*While being redshirted in 2012, he was questioned by police after reports of windows being broken from BB gun pellets. At one point, he was handcuffed before being released.

*In July 2013, he was accused of stealing soda from a Burger King, and nine months later, was charged with shoplifting crab legs from a Tallahassee supermarket.

*Just one month ago, he was kept out of the first half of a game against Clemson after he shouted a crude internet meme in the FSU's Student Union.

*The most serious instance came from a December 2012 incident that led to Winston having a sexual assault charge filed against him. While the case was later dropped, claims on both sides have kept this case in the news.

Falling from the likely top pick to wherever he lands means that Winston has already cost himself millions of dollars. Add to that the inevitable reluctance of sponsors to associate themselves with what many perceive to be a sex offender, and you have more money going down the drain.

Wagering on character-building exercises is always dicey, so buyer beware should you choose to take one side or the other.

If you are a florida sports betting man, it's no longer an issue as Winston is heading to the NFL. It will be interesting to see if he creates the same headaches for NFL coaches as he did FSU coaches.