Florida State QB Jameis Winston made news again over the weekend, this time for shoving an official. At one point in the third quarter of the Florida State Seminoles' 20-17 victory over Boston College, Winston was rushing to get the ball snapped, and gave one of the officials a nudge to get him out of the way.
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The official was attempting to prevent the ball from being snapped in order to allow time for Boston College to change its defensive personnel, and Winston bodied him out of the way to be able to hike the ball.
It is customary for officials to prevent the ball from being hiked whenever the offensive performs a no huddle substitution because the rules state that defenses must be given an opportunity to change their personnel any time the offense does.
According to media reports, the ACC coordinator of officials called the shove "insignificant" and said it did not warrant a penalty. According to the rules, players are not permitted to intentionally make contact with the officials, and any player who does receives an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and an automatic ejection.
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The New York Post argued that Winston should be suspended following the infraction to show the him that he is not above the rules. Although there was clearly no ill intent in the Winston shove, the rules are clear and concrete about the penalties for such an action.
In a similar incident, Maryland wide receiver Stefon Diggs received a suspension earlier this season after making contact with an official prior to their game against Penn State.
Officiating experts for Fox and ESPN both said that they felt the play deserved the penalty and ejection called for in the rules. Following the game, Winston did not even acknowledge any wrongdoing, saying "It was actually a fast-tempo play, so I was trying to get up under there and let it ride."
No further action is expected to be taken against Winston, leaving open the possibility of seeing similar behavior in the future.
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