Report: Winston autographs may be fakes
Jameis Winston and the Seminoles currently rank No. 3 in the CFP Rankings. (USATSI)Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston’s code of conduct hearing has been delayed again, by one day, due to a scheduling conflict, according to USA Today.
The hearing is currently scheduled for Dec. 2 at 12 p.m. ET, three days after Florida State closes the regular season at home against Florida.
Winston could be charged with any of four violations to the school’s code of conduct relating to the alleged sexual assault of another then-FSU student in December 2012. The case will be heard by retired Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Major Harding, one of three independent judges nominated by FSU to hear the case.
If it is determined that Winston has violated the code of conduct, punishments could include probation, suspension and expulsion. Teammates Chris Casher and Ronald Darby, also present on that Dec. 2012 night, have already gone through this process and were allowed to remain in school.
The Tallahassee Police Department and State Attorney’s Office investigated the claims in 2013 but did not charge Winston with any crime.
Authentication of Jameis Winston autographs reportedly questioned: ESPN’s Darren Rovell reported on the vast collection of Winston-autographed memorabilia available through James Spence Authentication (JSA). On Tuesday, Rovell wrote that JSA was able to obtain the items after another authentication services “had concerns about their legitimacy.”
Five sources who spoke to Outside the Lines on the condition of anonymity said that James Spence Authentication got the items only after competitor PSA/DNA backed out of the February signing with Winston. PSA/DNA did so after being told that it couldn’t witness the quarterback signing the items in person, sources said.
The report goes on to detail how Donnie Burkhalter, a Florida-based memorabilia dealer, used his relationship with Devonta Freeman to try and arrange a signing with Winston. PSA/DNA only agreed to the items if it could have one of its authenticators witness the signing, but when Winston didn’t show up to a Tallahassee hotel where more than 1,000 items were ready to be signed, the company chose to pass on the opportunity.
According to Outside the Lines, JSA stands by the legitimacy of the Winston autographs, though no one from the company witnessed the Florida State quarterback sign any of the items.
“JSA is confident in its authentication based on a comprehensive exemplar file and a 10-person authentication panel who independently score the autographs,” Stacy Biancamano, a company lawyer for JSA, told ESPN.com.
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