Jameis Winston might have a sense of humor.
But he also has a boss.
The Buccaneers quarterback moved hastily to delete the self-aware/irresponsible photo of himself in full team regalia with a plate of crab legs this morning. And it was hastily done because they pushed him.
According to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, once Bucs officials became aware of the photo (which popped up around midnight last night), “they encouraged having it removed from his account.”
Stroud also suggested that the photo somehow wasn’t a making light of Winston’s “hook-up” from Publix that captured the attention of everyone in the football world (other than Jim Harbaugh), but rather a nod to a captain from the “Deadliest Catch” who had given him a crab to autograph for a charity auction recently.
Also, if you stand next to me, and a warm liquid begins to splash upon my leg, I can only assume it is raining. Someplace where the rain is yellow.
I’m torn on this one. I wrote last night that I thought it was funny (which it was, especially at the end of a long day). Florio, the lawyer in the room (also, the adult) pointed out the potential legal pitfalls of making such a joke.
Both can be true, in varying degrees, at the same time.
The picture’s not going anywhere, as the Internet will make sure it lives forever. But while leaving it up might have allowed Winston the opportunity to tell everyone it was a harmless joke, it could have also been viewed as a tacit approval from the team.
And at a time when they were investigating everything to make sure they were doing the right thing drafting him, that obviously wasn’t a step they were willing to take.