After yesterday, we thought the only thing to come out of Jameis Winston's crab shoplifting fiasco would be jokes and funny photoshops. It's starting to look like there's a lot more going on.
Everything started with a tweet from former NFL Pro-Bowler Marcellus Wiley:
Jameis Winston's 'falling on the sword' 2 protect his teammates & 'higher ups' who knew of this Publix taking care of players for years! #YO
— Marcellus Wiley (@marcelluswiley) May 1, 2014
With the recent spotlight on the NCAA for not providing players enough to eat, this claim is particularly interesting. On its own, though, it doesn't prove anything - Wiley went to Columbia, not Florida State, and he doesn't exactly cite sources. One response to the tweet, though, speaks volumes:
To @marcelluswiley @mikefreemanNFL not YEARS....DECADES.
— Omar Kelly (@OmarKelly) May 1, 2014
Omar Kelly is a well-respected beat writer who covers the Miami Dolphins and went to nearby Florida A&M. The idea that he would support a baseless claim holds no water, and it appears he may have unveiled an open secret among FSU players to a much, much wider audience.
If Publix has been providing free food to FSU athletes for 'decades', and other players and 'higher ups' knew about it...the NCAA won't be thrilled. Regardless of where you stand on the morality of paying/feeding student-athletes, if these two guys are speaking the truth, there could be very real consequences for the Florida State program.
