Florida State star quarterback Jameis Winston will face a disciplinary hearing that will determine whether he violated FSU’s code of conduct in relation to an alleged sexual assault in December 2012.
ESPN.com and USA Today are reporting that Winston and his attorney were notified Friday in a letter sent by Florida State interim president Garnett Stokes and vice president for student affairs Mary B. Coburn. The letter informed the Heisman Trophy winning quarterback that “he might be charged with one of four violations of FSU’s student conduct code regarding sexual conduct,” per ESPN.com.
The school’s student conduct policy says that Winston has five days to schedule “an information hearing.” In that hearing, Winston will be presented with his rights and learn more about the forthcoming conduct hearing, which according to ESPN.com would be held “as soon as possible after the informational hearing.” The conduct hearing will also determine whether or not Winston is actually charged with breaching the school’s code of conduct.
Three individuals independent of the university have been selected by the school to hear the case, though both Winston and his accuser will be able to “strike one of the people from hearing the case.”
John Clune, an attorney for the accuser, says he received a copy of the letter sent from FSU to Winston on Friday that confirmed the hearing would feature a neutral third party.
“We know nothing about what the hearing process is going to be, the right to call witnesses, if there’s going to be witnesses called or if it’s going to be this third party interviewing all the people,” Clune said to USA Today. “We just have no details of what this is going to look like.”
Clune said the university going with a third party is a “highly unusual process,” but it does address “some concerns” about the school’s ability to effectively and fairly come to a decision amid months of intense media scrutiny.
Per USA Today, discipline for conduct violations range from “a verbal reprimand to expulsion.”
The school released an open letter offering a timeline of its handling of the case Friday, breaking its silence on the matter that dates back to December 2012, the time of the alleged incident. Clune offered a retort to FSU’s open letter later on Friday, saying it is “full of errors” and an attempt at “preventative damage control.”
Meanwhile, Florida State is under investigation by the Department of Education for its handling of the case under Title IX laws.
Winston, who led FSU to an undefeated season and national championship last season, was never charged with a crime when a state investigation into the matter ended in late 2013. The No. 1 Seminoles are 5-0 in 2014 and will play Syracuse on the road Saturday.
For more Florida State news, visit Warchant.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Reports: FSU QB Jameis Winston to face disciplinary hearing overseen by third party
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