FSU QB Winston to enter draft

Associated Press

TALLAHASSEE, FLA.

Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston announced he’ll enter the NFL draft on Wednesday, the same day the woman who accused him of sexual assault filed a lawsuit against the school’s board of trustees.

The 2013 Heisman Trophy winner announced his decision to forgo his final two years of eligibility in a statement released to ESPN by The Legacy Agency.

Winston was the most successful quarterback in college football during the last two seasons, but also faced lengthy sexual assault investigations. He was not charged by police and was cleared by the university.

In a lawsuit filed against the school’s board of trustees, the woman who accused him of sexual assault claimed the board had an unreasonable response to her accusations and created a hostile educational environment for her. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages, including reimbursement for tuition, damages for emotional pain and suffering and loss of past and present earning and earning capacity.

Representatives for the woman declined comment.

Florida State president John Thrasher released a statement saying he is disappointed in the lawsuit, but the university looks forward to “addressing these meritless allegations in court.” The university has contended that it took all the proper steps in fulfilling its Title IX obligations and that, “FSU did everything the plaintiff asked for and that the assertions FSU shirked its Title IX obligations are false.”

“In all, the University asked the plaintiff or her attorneys at least nine times over nearly 20 months to give a statement that would enable a Title IX investigation. FSU did not ignore the complainant or its obligations under Title IX,” Thrasher said in the statement. “The University’s victim advocates were at the plaintiff’s side within hours of the encounter and continued meeting with or contacting her or her representatives at least 30 times over the ensuing year. Besides offering emotional support and arranging numerous academic accommodations on her behalf, they informed the plaintiff and her attorney five times about the right to pursue a student disciplinary action. The first was in December 2012 — before the Athletics Department ever became aware of the allegation — and the last was in December 2013.

“Florida State University does not tolerate sexual violence in any form, regardless of who the alleged perpetrator might be.”

A key portion of the lawsuit is expected to center on when the university’s Title IX coordinator was alerted. Florida State previously said the only authorities aware of the incident before January 2013 were Tallahassee police, campus police and the Victims Advocate Program.