K-State Slate: 10.20.14 - Character, Class, and Dignity

Character, class, and dignity. These are all words which, when used in reference to Kansas State and its athletic programs, don't cause guffaws and snickers and outright belly laughs. Sure, there have been some missteps here and there over the last 25 years, but they've mostly been of the "stupid decision" variety. Why, K-State even once took a scholarship away from a player who was accused of a crime even though the end result of that fiasco was the alleged victim nearly getting arrested for filing a false report.

So when Jimbo Fisher talks about how Florida State runs its program with character and class and dignity as a means of defending the circus surrounding his star quarterback... let's just say that perhaps we need to go find Jimbo a dictionary. Because even if you ignore the 800-pound gorilla in Jamies Winston's closet, it's hard to look at Florida State's program and think "character". It's hilarious to think of him being chased out of Publix with a bunch of crab legs jammed into his sweats and use the word "dignity." And it's impossible to think of Winston's vulgar outburst that got him suspended and apply the word "class". That's really not what any of these words mean, Jimbo.

The simple reality here is that Jimbo Fisher shouldn't be defending Winston. Coaches constantly talk about molding young men, and when they recruit a player there is an implicit message to the parents is that the coach will in large part be the kid's parent. We hear about this all the time whenever a parent is interviewed about why their child chose a school. But when the player acts like a complete idiot, and the coach not only does pretty much nothing about it -- including just standing around looking helpless and bemused when the suspended player runs out onto the field in full pads -- but actively defends him, that sends a message.

And that message is "We don't care how much of an embarrassment you are off the field. Just win games."

That's not character, Jimbo. That's basically the exact opposite of it.Sure, your job is to win football games. You can do that without looking like a clueless idiot. You need Winston on the field? Fine. Play him. This isn't a call to bench the guy. But don't sit there with a microphone in your face and make a fool of yourself trying to pretend everything's unicorns and rainbows. Jameis Winston is a kid who has no concept of consequences for bad actions, and you are not helping him learn. Even if you're riding him in private, publicly you're covering for him. In the process you're sending the message to him that nothing is more important than football.