It if walks like a thug, acts like a thug, and talks like a thug...
A lot will be written about Alabama's second half demolition of Florida. I'll leave that sweet task to others today. This Sunday I want to write about the other team in Florida - FSU. I wonder how long FSU is going to allow Jameis Winston to remain on their roster? How long will the administration of FSU prostitute themselves for all of America to see? How much longer will FSU allow Jameis Winston to teach young American males that being a thug is just fine and dandy? Most of us know what would have happened to Winston if he acted that way under Nick Saban. I know that winning football games is important in the South. Do you believe that the University of Alabama would bow in the presence of such tasteless behavior? People like to say that "he's young". Sorry, he's not that young. He may be that stupid or arrogant. Winston's behavior is a result of being put in a situation that he isn't capable of things that require real character. There is such a difference between having character and being a character.
I personally find it amazing that despite being suspended he thought it necessary to suit up for a game in which he couldn't play. Of course, national TV played up his antics on the sideline. If Winston couldn't play he could still be the center of attention. I remember what a good friend told me when Alabama was recruiting him. "We don't want him, and we don't need him. The baggage is just not worth the trouble." I'm not sure what he knew about Winston and how he learned what he learned. "He's a great player," he said, "but that's all he is and he will ever be." Man, that's a tough critic. Winston's problems is that he no longer is a child but is no where near being a man.
Blake Sims has no where near the talent of Winston. Sims has made the University of Alabama proud of how he has persevered. He has made himself a starter and star to the fans despite a long and ragged journey. I don't personally know Blake Sims. I doubt I'd see him shoplifting down at the Piggly Wiggly. I see Sims cheering on Jake Coker from the sidelines. There is nothing fake or contrived about his actions. He's not panning for the camera. He's supporting his friend and his team. There is nothing shallow about Blake Sims. He's not some sort of thin veneer covering something that needs hiding. For all his talent, Jameis Winston seems incapable of hiding what he is. At least that's all he's shown me so for. Everyone is capable of change, even Jameis Winston. One thing seems certain, Jimbo Fisher, the FSU nation, and University won't have much to do with it if he does change.
