Florida State sends Jameis Winston letter detailing possible violations
Florida State officials sent quarterback Jameis Winston a letter listing four possible student code violations that a judge will consider when Winston faces a disciplinary hearing.
ESPN released a copy of the letter, which was signed by Florida State interim president Garnett Stokes and vice president for student affairs Mary Coburn. The school says that student discipline rests with the school’s president and Board of Trustees, but Florida State chose to bring in an outside person for "the best interests of the university.”
The letter says that a hearing officer, which ESPN.com reports will be one of three former Florida Supreme Court justices who have agreed to hear the case, will make a determination if Winston violated two codes related to sexual conduct after a female student accused him of rape in December 2012. Winston and his accuser can each request to have one of the three potential hearing officers removed from consideration.
"These allegations are based on the complainant's assertion that on or around December 7, 2012, you allegedly engaged in sexual intercourse with the complainant without her consent," the letter said.
Winston also faces two endangerment violations, which include physical violence towards another person or group and action(s) that endanger the health, safety, or well-being of another person or group.
• McCANN: Winston's best legal move may be to drop out of Florida State
Winston was investigated by the State Attorney's office for the alleged sexual assault, but decided not to pursue charges in December 2013, stating it could not guarantee that Winston could be convicted in court.
The school also held code of conduct hearings in May for FSU teammates Chris Casher and Ronald Darby. Darby and Casher said they saw the sexual encounter between Winston and his accuser.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Darby was not found responsible for any code of conduct violations, and Casher was found responsible for acts that invade privacy of another person and recording images without consent.
Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher said Monday he had no concerns Winston would miss games this season due to the investigation.
The second-ranked Seminoles play No. 5 Notre Dame on Saturday.
- Scooby Axson
