Phil Ellsworth/ESPN Images(TAMPA BAY, Fla.) – Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston says he made a “poor word choice” while talking to third and fourth grade students in St.Petersburg Florida.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, Winston asked the male students to stand and the females to sit. The NFL quarterback said, “But all my boys, stand up. We strong, right? We strong! We strong, right? All my boys, tell me one time: I can do anything I put my mind to. Now, a lot of boys aren’t supposed to be soft-spoken. You know what I’m saying? One day y’all are going to have a very deep voice like this [in deep voice]. One day, you’ll have a very, very deep voice.”
“But the ladies, they’re supposed to be silent, polite, gentle. My men, my men [are] supposed to be strong. I want y’all to tell me what the third rule of life is: I can do anything I put my mind to”
Later, Winston said he was trying to motivate a particular student without calling him out.
The former Florida State student-athlete has worked to rebuild his public image after being accused of sexually assaulting a female student at the school in 2012.
Winston was never charged or disciplined by the university. In December, he settled a federal lawsuit filed by the woman.
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