Jameis Winston a needs quiet month or two

With the spotlight planted firmly on Jameis Winston, it would be best for him to keep quiet. Not just for his future in the NFL, but for the sake of his team.

There is no question Jameis Winston is on thin ice. With his recent three-game suspension for allegedly groping an Uber driver in 2016, he is one mistake away from his time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers being over.

Over the weekend, what Bucs fans dubbed as “T-Shirt Gate,” made some noise. It revolved around a video showing Winston’s trainer wearing a shirt, which read “Jameis Against the World.”

Tampa Bay Times’ Greg Auman wrote a story on the t-shirt, due to the minor stir it caused among the fan base.

Auman then shared his opinion of the situation:

It’s hard to argue with Auman’s take. The spotlight is on Winston. Everyone wants to see him clean up his act off the field and there are plenty of Tampa Bay fans that support him. Whether he or his trainer was trying to send a message or not, it is a bad look. Like Auman said, there is a serious lack of awareness.

The t-shirt saga didn’t end there. Winston responded to Auman’s article on Twitter:

Winston’s response added a twist to the story. Of course, the entire uproar over a t-shirt is crazy, but Auman was doing his job. As a journalist, he is tasked with reporting news and with fans talking about it all over social media, it qualifies as such.

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Obviously, Winston doesn’t have to win anyone over. He doesn’t have to please any fans or the media, that isn’t his job. With that being said, it is probably in his best interest to keep out of headlines and focus on football.

Responding to “controversies” like this do him no good. Just turn the phone off and ignore the issue. In the same afternoon, Winston even surprised a youth football camp. Why not promote the positive work?

If this article earned a response from Winston, how is he going to be able to handle roaring NFL crowds, or Twitter after a Buccaneers loss?

The critics will only be louder when the season starts. Plenty of Tampa fans are already turning on him, he will be getting jeered and screamed at in every stadium, even Raymond James.

Again, it’s time for Winston to begin radio silence. Look at the backlash this t-shirt video received. Major outlets were covering this story, if Winston makes headlines again, it will just further vilify him.

It’s time to avoid the headlines and make it to week four against the Chicago Bears with no more incidents. There is no reason to draw attention to himself. He needs to remain in the background for the next two months and work on his game.

This has the potential to become a big distraction for the team. Winston’s suspension will likely cause Tampa to enter a big hole to start the season. If he is going to be in the news during his absence, it could cause havoc in the locker room.

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As all eyes are on him, Winston needs to stay out of the spotlight. Like it has for troubled stars in the past, winning cures everything. If Winston wants to win over the Buccaneers fans, making the playoffs would be a good start.