As the story of Jameis Winston’s alleged sexual assault unfolds, there seem to be more questions than answers. Espn reports that on Thursday the Florida state attorney, William Meggs, interviewed Winston’s accuser according to sources close to the investigation. Meggs is now expected to meet with his staff to determine if there is sufficient evidence to charge Winston with the crime of sexual assault.
What we do know is that DNA taken from the underwear of the accuser matches Jameis Winston’s DNA. However, Winston’s attorney states vehemently that his client and the accuser had consensual sex. If Winston is charged with the crime, per Florida State University policy, he will be immediately suspended from the football team. There is a nebulous clause in FSU’s policies that says suspension can be waived for “extraordinary circumstances as determined by administration,” so no one knows if this clause would be implemented for Winston.
There have been reports that the accuser was seeking to benefit financially from this process, but her attorney, Patricia Carroll, responded to this with the following:
“It is absolutely untrue. This is a victim of rape, which occurred on Dec. 7. She identified this guy sometime in January. This whole situation — think about it, think about it — if she wanted to ruin this guy, she would have done it a long time ago.”
“She’s not someone with any interest in ruining the football team,” Carroll said. “If this victim was interested in notoriety, why would she have not taken any action all this time? Anyone with a brain can see that. It’s ludicrous. It only came out when someone from the press got ahold of this. It’s really ruined her life. There’s no benefit in this to her whatsoever. She’s a good girl, and this is a nightmare. She was trying to move on with her life, and there was no benefit to her.”
Meanwhile, the court of public opinion continues to take sides based on the information being reported, but in this case, it’s always best to wait until all the facts are revealed. Only Winston and the accuser know the truth. As this site always maintains, if Winston did this crime, then he should be punished accordingly. However, if the accuser isn’t telling the truth, then she deserves punishment as well.