FSU legend Charlie Ward says Jameis Winston 'frustrates' him, but they remain close

Jameis Winston may have shut out Bo Jackson, but he has not turned his back on all advice from former college legends. In fact, former Florida State Heisman winner Charlie Ward has grown closer to Winston over the past several months.

Ward even visited Winston at his house over the summer, after the infamous crab legs incident. "I've talked to him a little bit more than last year," he told Yahoo Sports on Wednesday night.

That doesn't mean Ward is an enabler, though. Asked if Winston's behavior has frustrated Ward, he said, "Yes. Like my own son frustrates me."

Ward, who is now the head football coach at Booker T. Washington High in Pensacola, Fla., has tried to help Winston deal with the pressure and make better decisions. "I always tell him, 'Humility wins in the end,' " he said.

Ward does not find fault with the media scrutiny, even though his former program has been under constant criticism. "That's part of the deal when you're one of the top-ranked teams," he said. "Everything you do that's negative is going to hit the wire ASAP. Regardless of what goes on that's positive, that may not make it to the public. Whether that's fair or unfair, that's part of the process. You have to deal with it."

Ward has been pleased with how Winston has faced the fallout from his actions without railing against the backlash or the punishment.

"The thing about Jameis is that he does things, but he's willing to accept the consequences," Ward said. "He doesn't shy away from the consequences that have been brought to him. He does things off the cuff, which he's learning he can't do. We all go through life making decisions we regret. Sometimes we have to learn from it."

Ward has seen some signs of a growing maturity. Winston's suspension for shouting an obscene phrase on top of a cafeteria table was followed by late nights helping backup Sean Maguire prepare for the Clemson game, which Florida State won. Winston didn't hide from the cameras or from teammates – quite the opposite.

"He could have easily not been there for his teammates, or been ashamed of what people say," Ward said. "He was very supportive."

The question is whether Winston will truly learn, or keep faltering. That's something Ward doesn't pretend to know.

"Why do we keep doing these things?" he said. "It's decisions we have to have convictions about. Sometimes we have to have difficult times for us to really grow from them."

That's a large part of the debate over Winston. Has he really had difficult times? Has he really been punished? Ward believes head coach Jimbo Fisher has treated Winston like any other player, but the long list of missteps – both petty and serious – only gets longer. Many wonder if Winston really tries to improve or simply skates by with his talent, his cavalier style, and his entourage of protectors.

"The guy has a heart," Ward said. "It's not like he doesn't care. He's fun-loving. That's the way he handles himself. But he cares."

Whether he cares enough to change is out of Ward's control, but he does care enough to listen – to one fellow Heisman winner if not all of them.

"He'll listen," Ward said. "But you have to develop a relationship with people. That's just like me going to somebody I really don't know that well and yelling at him or trying to encourage him; they may or may not listen."

Ward feels he has an audience in Winston. And it's a mutual relationship, he said. The two Heisman winners go back and forth via text and sometimes phone, so it's not simply the older and wiser man badgering the college kid. Ward wouldn't bother if he didn't feel there was trust.

"He's told the truth thus far," Ward said, "as far as I know."