New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston eats a W, makes young fan's year
New Orleans Saints backup quarterback Jameis Winston made a young Florida State fan's day by eating a W with him before his team's game against the Indianapolis Colts.
@Jaboowins - You absolutely made this kid (and his mom’s) day. Week. Month. Year. #GoNoles @FSUFootball @Saints pic.twitter.com/JdWEiB1fxA
— Kortnee Mauck (@MrsMauckYMS) October 29, 2023
Winston won the Heisman Trophy in 2013 as he led the Seminoles to a 14-0 record and a national championship. Of course, the infamous 'W' is not in reference to anything Winston did in his college days. Instead, the sign was referencing a 2017 pre-game speech from Winston's days with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which Winston made before a game against the New Orleans Saints. Tampa Bay lost that game 30-10 by the way.
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What made the speech so famous?
That speech has become one of Winston's most infamous NFL moments. Sure, he may have set an NFL record with 30 interceptions in a single season, but to NFL fans, nothing is more unforgivable than cringe.
Jameis Winston with an ... interesting pump up speech. 🤣 pic.twitter.com/z0tESHAA6k
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) November 5, 2017
Pre-game speeches are supposed to get your teammates pumped up, ready to run through a brick wall. That wasn't the case with this speech. In fact, for a brief moment, you can see Winston's receiver Chris Godwin laughing at Winston's antics. Thankfully, Bucs linebacker Shaq Barrett came in and put an end to Winston's speech before it got a chance to ruin any good mojo the team had left. As stated earlier though, the Bucs lost that game 30-10. Clearly, Winston's speech didn't have the desired effect. They did not eat any W's that day, only L's.
Winston leaning into it
Now years after the original W speech, Winston has embraced one of his most ill-famed moments. Whether it's this picture or eating another W following a win over his former team in 2020, Winston has learned to lean into the cringe.
Winston made that young Florida State fan's day, and there's no price too hefty for that.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jameis Winston eats a W with young fan before game against Colts