Sports

Jameis Winston Twitter Q&A Goes (Predictably) Wrong; Administrator Says Campaign Was 'Basically a Setup'

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It is no secret how shrewd Twitter users can be, so the Florida State Seminoles' #AskJameis Q&A session on Twitter predictably went awry off the bat.

According to the Associated Press, Florida State University's (FSU) athletic department knew there would be backlash. They had to. Still, Elliott Finebloom, sports information director, said the school felt it was important to connect the fans with the team.

"I knew there was going to be some negativity going into it," he told the AP. "The goal of the Twitter Q&A was to continue to find ways to connect our fans and the players they support. That's important to us... and social is a big way of doing it these days. That was the ultimate goal."

Jameis Winston mostly received mocking questions regarding his crab legs theft at a local grocery store and the sexual assault he was investigated for. Some tweets even went after the Tallahassee Police Department (TPD) for their alleged shortcomings in the sexual assault investigation.

Despite other minor disciplinary issues, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner only received a three-game suspension from the baseball team and 20 hours of community service for the theft.

While Winston is used to sarcastic mockery and accusatory remarks on the Internet and in general, he may not have had to be subjected to it via the Seminoles' official Twitter account.

"This was doomed from the beginning," Robert Stewart, director of the Ohio University school of journalism, told the AP. "It's basically a setup. Whoever thought this was a good idea had not done PR 101, which is to think about what all could go wrong. Everything about this was naive."

FSU football's media day was held Sunday, the same day as the #AskJameis Twitter Q&A, where Winston was bound to be the center of attention. As the youngest college football player to ever win the Heisman, Winston has already shown a certain comfort level with the spotlight.

"That's the good life, all eyes on me," Winston said at the media event, according to the Orlando Sentinel. "I don't really have much to prove, but I've got a family that needs me and I'm going to take care of the name on make. Believe that."

The Seminoles apparently fielded enough football questions to go forward with airing a video of Winston answering #AskJameis questions.

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