Watch: Bucs’ Jameis Winston Advises Silence For Ladies

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston is scrambling to recover from a fumble that has more than a few people crying foul.

It seems the energetic football star was invited out to St. Petersburg’s Melrose Elementary School on Wednesday to get kids fired up about learning in advance of upcoming standardized testing. While video of the assembly shows Winston scored with most of the kids, a particular line from his speech has more than a few folks calling for a flag on the play.

It seems Winston attempted to gain the attention of a student who wasn’t engaged by encouraging all the boys to stand up while the girls sat. It's what came next that's put the athlete in hot water.

After telling the boys they were strong and could do anything they could put their minds to, he pointed out: “One day y’all are going to have a very deep voice like this. One day, you’ll have a very, very deep voice,” the Tampa Bay Times quoted him as saying. “But the ladies, they’re supposed to be silent, polite, gentle."

That statement was quick to earn backlash, even from the Times’ writer, who posted the video.

“While the moment might not have been malicious, it was damaging,” Tom Jones, the Times' sports columnist, pointed out in his piece. “It was hurtful.”

Winston has since tried to recover the fumble, saying it was a “poor word choice,” according to ESPN.

Winston’s no stranger to recovering from bad press. During his days at Florida State, he was accused of sexual assault. While no charges were ever filed, a federal lawsuit filed by the woman was settled by Winston last December, ESPN pointed out.

Winston was a first-round draft pick for the Bucs in 2015. The team took a risk with the controversial pick but backed the decision by saying he had the makings of being a real leader and champion.

“And, his work ethic was one thing that really put him over the top for us, combined with his leadership, and I hate to say it, but for a lack of a better word, that ‘it’ factor,” Jason Licht, the Bucs’ general manager, said in 2015.

Fans were quick to show their support for Winston with some taking to Twitter to defend his position:

Others weren't so understanding:

Photo by Keith Allison via Flickr used under Creative Commons