Report alleges Florida State 'hindered' Jameis Winston investigation
A FOX Sports report alleges that Florida State administrators and Tallahassee police took steps to "hide and then hinder" the sexual assault investigation against Seminoles quarterback Jameis Winston last fall.
Winston was accused of sexual assault in December 2012. No charges were filed, but in November 2013, the state's attorney announced that it was opening an investigation into the accusation. The investigation was completed a month later, and again, no charges were filed.
FOX Sports said it did its own investigation and looked through "thousands of pages of documents" concerning the case. It found that when Tallahassee police heard a reporter was looking into the alleged rape, they turned the reports over to FSU administrators, who had the documents by November 2013.
The FOX Sports investigation also found that Tallahassee police forwarded the reports to the Florida State police chief and a high-ranking official in the athletics department. From the report:
Reports then ended up in the hands of Winston's attorney, Tim Jansen. Jansen was able to question two key witnesses in the case before the state attorney was even notified of the allegation against Winston and launched his own investigation.
State attorney Willie Meggs told FOX Sports that fact alone hampered his ability to conduct a proper investigation.
The investigation also alleges that campus police officials "ran interference against reporters, attempting at one point to suggest there was no investigation of Winston."
Earlier Friday, Florida State sent a letter to its supporters detailing the actions it took during Winston's sexual assault case.
The university recently launched a Title IX investigation into the alleged sexual assault.
- Molly Geary
