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Jimbo Fisher Rightfully Confident Jameis Winston Won’t Be Suspended

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By @mattytheole

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When it comes to emotional peaks and valleys, few coaches in any sport have endured more in the last year than Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher.

Since last September, Fisher has directed an undefeated season, claimed a national championship and been forced to answer unending questions about the often-bizarre and always controversial behavior of star quarterback Jameis Winston. Add it all up and you might forgive the head Seminole for being a bit testy these days.

After all, he’s staring at arguably his biggest game of the season Saturday against a potent No. 5 Notre Dame team. Nevertheless, there was the Winston issue again on Monday, rearing its ugly head like a nasty bee sting that just won’t heal.

Clearly perturbed by another never-ending stream of Winston questions, Fisher snapped, essentially telling present media members where they could stick their respective opinions. “I know the facts of the case,” stated a defiant Fisher, “the facts in the case haven’t changed. We know the report and know everything that is out there. There’s nothing new out there. We’ve been through this.”

Fisher continued on, stating he believed Winston “100 percent” regarding his ongoing off-the-field issues while also admonishing the press for printing stories that, as he put it, “taint them toward their side.”

While Fisher may have finally cracked a bit under the pressure of it all, he does have a point. Winston is currently scheduled to take part in a disciplinary hearing to determine whether he violated Florida State’s honor code for his role in the alleged sexual assault of a fellow student in December of 2012.

Based on how Florida State’s administration has handled the Winston case until now, it would be surprising if the hearing itself resulted in any additional suspension. No criminal charges were officially filed in the case and the school has already engaged in a bit of PR damage control regarding Winston with the release of their recent letter and timeline.

Unfortunately for Fisher, the final decision might not ultimately be up to him or the school itself. Simply put, Florida State is beginning to feel the wrath of public sentiment. When both FOXSports.com and the New York Times released their respective investigative reports detailing the apparent missteps and questionable behaviors exhibited during the initial investigation, it became hard for the school to continue peddling the “nothing to see here” narrative that has been maintained in Tallahassee since day one.

Adding an even more disturbing layer to the story is news of another investigation, this one regarding Winston’s role in a money-for-autograph scheme that resembles the same activity that recently landed Georgia running-back Todd Gurley in hot water. Gurley is currently suspended pending the results of both Georgia’s and the NCAA’s investigation into that case. For Winston, it’s just another plotline in the ongoing soap-opera of the quarterback’s career at Florida State.

Will this finally be the breaking point? Fisher is obviously hoping not. His job is to win football games and that becomes a whole lot easier with Winston on the field. As a result, Fisher really doesn’t have any choice but to defend his star player. In fact, it only makes sense that Fisher go-to-bat for Winston under almost any circumstance.

The real question is whether public pressure will finally force Florida State’s hand. First, it’ll be the disciplinary hearing. Then they’ll have to address the whole autograph issue. In other words, Florida State administrators will be up to their eyeballs in Winston drama for the foreseeable future.

Of course, that’s nothing new for Florida State these days. Winston drama has been its own subplot for almost two years now with little having changed along the way. So while a suspension may be warranted, Fisher knows his administration and how they’ve handled matters until now. Taking all of that into account, perhaps we should all get used to the idea that Winston isn’t going anywhere.

While Fisher may have momentarily lost his cool on Monday, he still knows the administration and their stance in regards to Winston. When all is said and done, don’t be surprised if Winston is taking snaps not only on Saturday, but the rest of the season.

For better or worse, it’s the Florida State way.

Matt Johnson is a sports writer for www.rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter at mattytheole or “like” him on Facebook.

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