Outside stadium, Florida State fans show Jameis Winston fatigue

TALLAHASSEE - Moments before ESPN's College GameDay went on air outside Doak Campbell Stadium, host Chris Fowler told the crowd of Seminole faithful that the whole show - or at least half of the 3-hour broadcast - would be spent discussing the suspension of Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston. It might feel like it, he told them.

As No. 1 Florida State (3-0) prepared to face No. 24 Clemson (1-1), it was the absence of the reigning Heisman Trophy winner that threatened to overshadow one of the biggest matchups on Florida State's schedule.

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FSU interim president Garnett Stokes and athletic director Stan Wilcox announced late Friday night that the half-game suspension they levied earlier this week in response to Winston shouting an obscene and derogatory phrase about women that's become a popular meme on college campuses would be extended for the entire game.

As Florida State fans tailgated early in the afternoon Saturday, annoyance with the school over its handling of the latest in a string of off-field issues from the QB rose above concern about the Seminoles potentially losing the game. They expressed dismay at Winston's seemingly continuous failure to learn lessons from his previous incidents while criticizing the spotlight shone on his every misstep.

'This will be the first time he's actually had legitimate consequences,' said Ryan Begy, 33, an alumnus from St. Petersburg. 'So sitting on the sideline, watching something he's an integral part of, I think is going to hurt him and it might be the jarring thing he needs to wake up. 'Cause he says he's woken up, but he clearly hasn't.'

On Tuesday, fellow students tweeted that Winston jumped on a table in the student union on campus and shouted the derogatory phrase, one which tends to provoke varied levels of outrage depending on age. A group of about a dozen alumni and fans on Saturday wore custom-made garnet shirts with a censored version of it under a depiction of Uncle Sam.

Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston will miss the Seminoles' entire game vs. Clemson after he made lewd comments about women.(Photo: Phil Sears, AP)

Zach Thrasher, a 2010 FSU graduate from Orlando, said he had the shirts made Wednesday to promote his website, where he sells fishing lures. He was selling the shirts at the tailgate on Saturday for $20 each and said he had probably sold fewer than 100.

'I could see how it was offensive,' said Thrasher, 'but it was a meme before he said it. He was just being funny restating a meme. It's offensive, but we edited it a little bit. That's why Uncle Sam's on it, a freedom of speech kind of thing.'

Thrasher's friends wearing the shirts didn't plan to wear them into the stadium for the game.

As she was hanging out at her parents' tailgate across the street from the stadium, Elizabeth Lizza, a FSU sophomore from Palm Beach, said the phrase has been repeated non-stop on campus.

'It ruins our school image. It's not about being offensive or not,' she said. 'We know what it's from. It's not just pouring out of his mouth. It's a social media thing. ... The problem is he thinks he's untouchable and he's not.'

That college students do stupid things became a repeated explanation for Winston's behavior as fans noted Winston has the unprecedented glare of being the Big Man on Campus in the age of social media. Fans at the stadium tailgate Saturday support Winston, they said, but they'd like to see him handle the spotlight better.

Most were critical of FSU's handling of the suspension, citing an environment in which the NFL has been criticized for its response to domestic violence cases involving several players, including former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, and child abuse charges against Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson.

'I feel it came from the top,' said Chris McEachran, who graduated from FSU in 2009 and lives in Tallahassee. 'With the Title IX issues Florida State has going on right now, they're under a lot of pressure to act accordingly and to exceed their expectations and make sure they're falling in line with what everyone else thinks they should be doing.'

Lizza's parents Jennifer and Scott Lizza have been boosters for about 10 years and made the 6-hour drive from their home in Palm Beach for the game. Although they didn't attend the school, the couple has been fans for years and now have their daughter in school there. While they said they love FSU, they were critical of its handling of Winston's suspension.

'I think the suspension was smart, but I think the way they handled it was horrendous,' said Jennifer Lizza. 'You can't change your mind because of public pressure. If you felt that you were justified in suspending him for half a game, then you have to be able to stand behind that.'

Added Scott Lizza, 'They're getting a full lesson from the NFL. They just did exactly what the NFL did. How could you make their mistake when you're watching the NFL get grilled for their mistake and you did the same thing? Silly.'

If Winston's most recent problem could be dismissed as the stupid act of a college student, FSU fans have started to show fatigue at the continued negative attention his off-the-field incidents bring their team. Most serious is a rape allegation made in Dec. 2012 by a female FSU student, which was investigated in 2013 and did not result in criminal charges. Winston is the subject of an investigation by FSU regarding the alleged assault, and Florida State is under investigation by the federal government for its handling of sexual violence. Winston's other incidents include two run-ins with police about shooting BB guns, taking soda from a Burger King and stealing crab legs from Publix.

He was cited in April for the last one, serving a three-game suspension from the baseball team and serving 20 hours of community service.

Glenn Taylor, 25, is a lifelong Seminoles fan who traveled six hours from his home in Mississippi with his 19-year-old brother, Opie, to attend their first game. Wearing Winston jerseys as they sat outside the University Club, the brothers expressed disappointment in the way Winston handled himself and that they wouldn't see him play in person. The suspension, they and other Florida State fans hope, can be a wake-up call for the QB.

'I hate to bash the guy 'cause I'm a fan, but how many apologies have we heard from him?' said Glenn Taylor. 'If he means this one, then show us. Don't tell us about it.'