(Getty)
It’s hard to imagine at this point how the latest Jameis Winston saga could get any weirder.
First, Winston drew the ire of the FSU athletic department when he stood up on a table in the FSU student union on Tuesday and, taking part in an Internet craze that started with a fake video, yelled an extremely vulgar phrase at the top of his lungs.
A day later, FSU announced that Winston was suspended for the first half of Saturday’s ACC showdown with No. 22 Clemson.
Late Saturday night, the school issued a statement announcing that Winston was suspended for the entire game because of information that had come up during its “continuing investigation.”
But the story entered another level of weirdness and stupidity when Winston defied his coaches’ orders and emerged from the locker room Saturday night in full uniform to take part in warmups.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Winston Showed Up in Full Pads & Started Warming Up
Suspended FSU QB Jameis Winston gets sent back to the locker room by an annoyed Jimbo Fisher after warming up in pads http://t.co/H6SGc4F0TY
— ESPN Highlights (@HighlightsESPN) September 21, 2014
Winston came out of the locker room about two hours before kickoff in full uniform — including his helmet and full pads — and started going through pregame exercises with his teammates.
2. Jimbo Fisher Sent Winston Back to the Locker Room to Change
A clearly agitated Fisher confronted Winston when he saw him on the field and sent him back to the locker room to change. Winston emerged wearing his No. 5 uniform top, but without the helmet, shoulder pads or pants.
3. Fisher Refused to Talk About Winston Before the Game With Tom Rinaldi
Jimbo Fisher tells Tom Rinaldi "We'll discuss all those issues later," re: decision (& who made it) to sit Jameis for game. #CLEMvsFSU
— Matt Fortuna (@Matt_Fortuna) September 21, 2014
ESPN/ABC’s Tom Rinaldi did his best to try to get Fisher to talk about the Winston affair during his pregrame on-field interview with Fisher. But Fisher twice declined to answer Rinaldi’s questions before Rinaldi moved on to a question about Sean Maguire, who started in Winston’s place.
Asked who made the decision to extend Winston’s suspension to a full game, Fisher answered “we’ll discuss those issues later.” Reporters will get another crack at Winston in his postgame press conference.
4. Fisher Canceled an Interview Saturday Morning on College Game Day
I was scheduled to interview Jimbo Fisher in the first hour of the @CollegeGameDay this morning. The school cancelled late last night.
— Sam Ponder (@sam_ponder) September 20, 2014
Sam Ponder, an ESPN reporter who’s married to former Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder, was scheduled to interview Fisher Saturday morning on College Game Day, which was broadcasting live from Tallahassee.
But in an attempt to avoid having to answer questions about Winston, Fisher canceled the interview. That left Rinaldi as the first reporter with a chance to question Fisher.
5. Winston Is on the Sideline in a Jersey & Hat
Winston is on the Seminoles sideline wearing his jersey sans pads and helmet. He’s getting plenty of air time on ABC’s telecast as Maguire tries to lead the Noles to a victory.
