Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston, a favorite for college football’s Heisman Trophy, will not be charged for alleged sexual battery, State Attorney William Meggs said today in Tallahassee.
Meggs announced Wednesday that the investigation into rape allegations from a female FSU student against Winston was complete. He decided to wait until today to give a press conference at the Leon County Courthouse to say that Winston will not be charged.
“We've carefully examined all the evidence in this case and have concluded that no charges will be brought against anyone in this case,” Meggs told the media, reports ESPN.
The state was investigating claims from a female student that Winston sexually assaulter her in an apartment on Dec. 7, 2012. Meggs’ office spent the last three weeks investigating and spoke with the woman, 19, two weeks ago. Winston’s attorney, Tim Jansen, said that the sex was consensual.
“We have a duty as prosecutors to determine if each case has a reasonable likelihood of conviction,” Meggs said. “After reviewing the facts in this case, we do not feel that we can reach those burdens.” He was also asked if Winston got any special treatment, but Meggs said that his office’s reputation shows that they try to treat each case fairly.
Winston is a redshirt freshman at Florida State, which is now the No. 1 ranked team in the country. According to USA Today, the Seminoles will play in the ACC Championship in Charlotte Saturday. Next week, the Heisman ballots are due and Winston is expected to win. He has 3,490 passing yards with 38 touchdowns and only five interceptions.
image: Wikimedia Commons
