Buccaneers QB Jameis Winston, after being chosen as the top pick in the NFL Draft on Thursday, posted an image online of himself with a plate of crab legs, but the team the following day "encouraged Winston to remove the photo from his Instagram account," according to Rick Stroud of the TAMPA BAY TIMES. The picture "received negative reaction on social media from some who felt Winston was making light" of the crab leg shoplifting incident he faced last year (TAMPABAY.com, 5/1). In Tampa, Tom Jones wrote Winston "says all the right things" and he shows "humility and poise, humor and grace." Jones: "Immediately he engages you. He pulls you in. He makes you want to like him. Then you stop. Is this authentic, or is it all an act?" The crab legs photo was not that big of a deal "in and of itself." However, it "shows a complete lack of self-awareness." He "comes off as self-absorbed and completely tone deaf to how his actions can be perceived by a skeptical public" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 5/2).
IMPACTING ALL ASPECTS OF THE TEAM: In Tampa, Jamal Thalji wrote the decision to "choose a player with Winston's past will affect fan support, ticket and merchandise sales, corporate sponsorships and TV ratings." The rewards of drafting Winston "could be great," but the risks "could be even greater." Univ. of South Florida Sport & Entertainment Business Management MBA Founding Dir Bill Sutton: "Any mistake that he makes is going to be magnified. But if he's productive and successful, he has the chance to erase some of his mistakes, and the franchise's mistakes" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 5/2). Meanwhile, THE MMQB's Peter King notes when Winston and his family arrived in Tampa on Friday, the "entire Bucs' staff was in the lobby to give Winston an ovation." King: "There might be some hate in the community and the wider world, but not here. Not today" (MMQB.SI.com, 5/4).
