FSU quarterback and the youngest winner of the Heisman Trophy Jameis Winston was just given a slap on the wrist for his recent series of misconducts, revealing our nation’s tendency to make light of sin.
On Tuesday, Sept. 16, Winston shouted an obscene comment about the female anatomy in the student union and was consequently suspended from the Clemson vs. FSU game on Sept. 20.
The Wednesday after his misconduct Winston spoke at a news conference, giving carefully rehearsed answers that would satisfy the most stringent PR rep.
“First of all I want to apologize to the university, to my coaches and to my teammates,” Winston said. “I’m not a ‘me’ person but in that situation it was a selfish act and that’s not how you do things around here.
Unfortunately, this slip-up will just be added to the ever-expanding “Winston’s misconducts” file.
Chris Chase of usatoday.com said, “If this is a suspension for this incident alone, maybe it’s too harsh. If it’s a suspension for all the prior incidents, it’s far too lenient.”
Indeed, Winston has been the cause of five controversies in a little over two years.
In 2012 Winston broke 13 apartment windows in a BB gunbattle, stole soda from a Tallahassee Burger King and, by far the worst, was accused of sexually assaulting a female student in December.
In December 2013 – one year later – he won the Heisman trophy, just after the sexual abuse accusations went public in November.
This year, Winston has already been accused of shoplifting $32.72 worth of crab legs from Publix and, of course, of shouting obscenities from atop a table at FSU.
Now, one week later, Winston is already off the hook once again. He will play for FSU this Saturday against NC State.
Looking back on the game without his star quarterback, FSU head coach James “Jimbo” Fisher said, “It was a tough week, but we’re ready to move on, and I look forward to playing NC State.”
Your player’s alleged sexual abuse case was reopened a few weeks ago, and he shouted obscenities last week, but you just want to “move on”? And this week has been really tough on you?
From these comments, Fisher appears to see the nation’s disapproval of Winston’s actions as a nuisance that is hindering his weekly practice schedule.
But Mark 9:43 says, “And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.”
God does not take sin lightly and neither should Christians, which is why BJU has high standards of conduct.
Perhaps you don’t understand all the expectations in the student handbook. Some of them simply help a large community function in an orderly way.
But, many of these expectations aim to reflect the moral character of God and protect against the deceitfulness of sin. No institution can prevent sin, but BJU takes sin seriously and wants to help students avoid sin.
When you know the consequences of sin, you know how serious sin is, and the most loving thing you can do for a brother or sister in Christ is to point them away from their sins.
As Luke 17:3b says, “If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them.”
Winston’s coach and teammates should be rebuking him out of love but, instead, hungry for their next victory, they are busy trying to “move on” and gloss over his sins.
Hopefully, here at BJU, we are more concerned about edifying one another, rather than winning games. For a winning game produces a temporary prize, while a righteous life produces an eternal prize.
