Thursday night Tampa Bay’s rookie quarterback Jameis Winston berated his special teams for allowing a long run back of a kickoff. Then he threw an interception and refused to accept the blame. It’s easy to be a cheerleader when your team is winning, but being a real leader means encouraging teammates when they are down, not focusing on their failures.

Winston received protection from Florida State University and the Tallahassee Police Department for his alleged rape of cooed Erica Kinsman in 2012. Additional evidence has indicated that Winston was guilty of sexual assault and evaded prosecution thanks to the intervention of the university.

His less than adequate performance on Thursday night discounted the grandiose praise from the ‘experts.’ He is not the savior predicted by former players and coaches who now sit in announcer’s chairs. In reality he may be Robert Griffin III reincarnated. And his demeanor reminded me of Cam Newton in his first year.

Many of Winston’s passes sailed over the receiver’s head. The St. Louis Rams’ defense kept him in the pocket and did not allow him to run.

The victory by the Rams had little significance for the playoffs, but was huge for both the team and the fans. In what may have been the last home game for St. Louis, they defeated the Bucs 31-23. Their next home game may be in Los Angeles in 2016.

If you didn’t watch Thursday night’s game and only looked at the stats, you would think that Tampa Bay won, and Winston outplayed Case Keenum, the Rams’ quarterback. Winston threw for 363 yards, but only completed 29 of 50 passes. In addition, his yards per pass were only 7.3, and his passer rating was 85.7. Keenum completed 14 of 17 for 234 yards, with an average per pass of 13.8 and a passer rating of 158.

The Rams defense must be given much of the credit; a terrific pass rush and an improving secondary stymied Winston through the first three quarters.

Winston’s rape allegations are not going away. Ms. Kinsman has filed a civil suit against the number one pick in the 2014 draft. New evidence has been revealed including a Facebook posting by a teammate which apparently offers remorse for his involvement in the sexual attack against Ms. Kinsman. Another piece of information is the cab driver who allegedly drove Ms. Kinsman to the location where the rape occurred.

Ms. Kinsman claimed that Winston was raping her in the bedroom, when his teammate entered the room and told him to stop. He allegedly carried her into the bathroom and completed the assault.

As is the case with Greg Hardy of the Dallas Cowboys, both the Tampa Bay management and the NFL League Office is discounting domestic violence as ‘collateral damage.’ Players receive far more lengthy and serious punishment for possession of marijuana. Women continue to be ‘fair game’ for NFL players.

Once again, I insist that Commissioner Roger Goodell resign.

Op-Ed

By James Turnage

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