Most NFL players concentrate on improving on their game when they first enter the league. Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston has not had that luxury. Thanks to his antics and transgressions in college, he has had to work on his image as well as his game. Overall, he has done a good job of rehabbing his image (so far), but it took a major hit recently after an appearance at a local Elementary School went wrong.
Winston has made several public appearances during his two-year #NFL career. He was making one at Melrose Elementary in St. Petersburg, Florida, recently when the unfortunate incident in question occurred.
Jameis Winston makes unfortunate comments while talking to elementary school kids
He was giving a speech to a group of students when he made what he later called a poor word choice. He wanted the boys in the crowd to stand up but told the girls to sit down. He then went on to tell them they are supposed to be strong but not quiet. But when it came to the girls, his message was a little different (courtesy of ESPN):
"But the ladies, they're supposed to be silent, polite, gentle. My men, my men (are) supposed to be strong. I want y'all to tell me what the third rule of life is: I can do anything I put my mind to. Scream it!"
The message would not be good coming from anyone. However, since they came from a person, like Jameis Winston, who has faced rape charges in the past, they have received much more attention than they otherwise would have.
Good intentions but terrible execution
With how he expressed himself, it sounded like Winston was trying to say girls should speak when spoken to or that they should be seen and not heard. But he says that was not the case and that he actually had good intentions.
The message was supposed to be about building confidence but during his speech, Winston noticed one boy tuning out.
While he didn’t want to single anyone out, he did want to get the boy re-engaged. So, he thought by having all the boys do something he could reconnect with the one not paying attention. But in doing so, his comments about girls took away from his overall message (courtesy of ESPN):
"During my talk, I used a poor word choice that may have overshadowed that positive message for some."
