National Football League

Report: Winston could face second abuse accusation in civil trial

Published Apr. 3, 2015 6:02 p.m. ET

foxsports

By Vincent Frank

This is not good news for former Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston, whom many expect to be the top overall pick in the NFL Draft later this month.

According to Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole, Winston may face a second assault accusation soon.

From Cole:

"Jameis Winston is going to be subject to a civil lawsuit going forward. Currently, the alleged (first) victim has already filed a lawsuit against Florida State, is expected to include Jameis Winston either as part of that lawsuit, or as part of a separate civil lawsuit somewhere down the line.

"And finally, there’s a second woman who claims to have had an encounter with Jameis Winston in 2013. There’s some expectation out there among multiple sources that she may come forward as part of that civil suit, and either file her own civil action, or at least testify on behalf of the first alleged victim."

This is something that NFL teams likely already know through the vetting process. But it’s also something that could force the Buccaneers, who have the No. 1 pick, or another team to look in another direction.

While Winston has not faced any criminal charges relating to the first incident, teams are walking a tight line in today’s NFL. Following the PR nightmare that the league faced over the past year, any further allegations against Winston could be damning for his draft stock.

It is important to note that there is no other rape allegation against Winston at this point, at least publicly. If a second woman does come forward as part of the civil case, the details are going to be important.

As Sander Philipse of SB Nation points out, it’s possible that this could be the same woman whom the New York Times referenced earlier. She originally didn’t call her encounter with Winston “rape.” However, she was concerned enough to seek counseling.

At the very least, this is something Winston didn’t need to come up three weeks before the draft.

More from Sportsnaut: