It’s not the Bucs’ worst nightmare. Yet. But it’s uncomfortably close. Wasting a high draft choice on a failed kicker never seemed like such an innocent miscalculation.
Sexual groping allegations against quarterback Jameis Winston are hardly in the Harvey Weinstein league. But for Winston, his viability as the highly-touted, highly-paid, highly-marketed face of the franchise is in jeopardy. It’s never good when the NFL–under increasing pressure to clean up its image–is investigating your quarterback catalyst. This is national news.
Given his back story, Winston cannot afford to stray. His margin of error is zero. To his credit, he has, heretofore, represented the Buccaneer organization in commendable fashion.
But that past is beyond problematic. Last December he settled a high-profile lawsuit with a woman who accused him of rape when both were students at FSU. The details were disgusting, but Winston and the Bucs thought the matter was behind them. Not.
Allegations that he groped a female Uber driver last year have now surfaced at the worst possible time as Weinstein, Louis C.K., Kevin Spacey, Roy Moore and the like have created a self-sustaining, creepy news cycle that Winston is now part of. And if you are the Bucs, you are again reliving the Jameis Winston/Marcus Mariota draft dilemma that never goes away.
As for Mariota, whose Tennessee Titans team is on course to make the playoffs, he has become a solid NFL quarterback, one who continues to make better decisions on–and off–the field than Winston. But, yes, he did throw four interceptions against Pittsburgh last week.
As for the Bucs, this has to be an agonizing waiting game as this matter gets inevitably lawyered up. What’s at stake is more than their quarterback. Their identity and their credibility are part of this crucible.