Jameis Winston Made Some Questionable Remarks to Elementary Schoolers

Sarah Rense
Updated
Photo credit: Getty
Photo credit: Getty

From Esquire

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston visited a Tampa elementary school on Wednesday to play role model to some third- through fifth-graders. It started off okay. Winston gave a rousing "You can do it!"-themed speech, but then the kids, being kids, started to look bored. As Tampa Bay Times columnist Tom Jones recounts, Winston then said:

All my young boys, stand up. The ladies, sit down. But all my boys, stand up. We strong, right? We strong! We strong, right? All my boys, tell me one time: I can do anything I put my mind to. Now a lot of boys aren't supposed to be soft-spoken. You know what I'm saying? One day y'all are going to have a very deep voice like this (in deep voice). One day, you'll have a very, very deep voice.

Which he followed with this:

But the ladies, they're supposed to be silent, polite, gentle. My men, my men (are) supposed to be strong. I want y'all to tell me what the third rule of life is: I can do anything I put my mind to. Scream it!

While a student at Florida State, Winston was accused of rape, a case that became part of the documentary The Hunting Ground. Winston was never arrested and was cleared by the university of any sexual misconduct; the police investigation was found to have been flawed from the start.

After a barrage of criticism over his "silent, polite, gentle" comment, Winston told the Times, "During my talk, I used a poor word choice that may have overshadowed that positive message for some." He did not elaborate on what he meant to say.

You Might Also Like