Florida State University quarterback Jameis Winston turns left -- trouble. He turns right -- more trouble.
Now the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, already in an ongoing investigation of a sexual assault complaint, is being investigated for selling perhaps thousands of autographs.
In spite of the probes and weight he now carries, Winston will lead the No. 2 Seminoles at home Saturday night against No. 5 Notre Dame.
ESPN reported Thursday that more than 2,000 signatures authenticated as Winston's have been found on the James Spence Authentication website -- a clear violation of NCAA rules if Winston is found to have profited from them.
"Aw, give me a break," FSU sophomore Trey Johnson told Sunshine State News Friday night. "This is bull. My bet is, somebody from a rival school is behind this, just trying to make him ineligible so the 'Noles will fall."
"At this time we have no information indicating that (Winston) accepted payment for items reported to bear his signature, thereby compromising his athletics eligibility," FSU athletic director Stan Wilcox said in a statement. "The fact that items appear on an Internet site bearing the signature of a student-athlete does not singularly determine a violation of NCAA rules."
Seminoles Coach Jimbo Fisher adamantly stands behind Winston in the autograph investigation, claiming "Jameis is good to his fans, he's always stopping to sign something for a fan. ... He looked me in the eye and told me he was never paid for them and I believe him."
Meanwhile, Winston is moving forward with an upcoming student judiciary hearing, in which he could wind up charged with as many as four violations of FSU's student conduct code for an alleged sexual assault in December 2012.
Winston had a Friday deadline to contact the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities to schedule an information hearing. His attorney, David Cornwell of Atlanta, told ESPN.com he met the deadline on Winston's behalf, and is now waiting for FSU to assign an outside hearing officer for the case.
"We've been pretty consistent in saying that we will be cooperative with the expectation of fairness," Cornwell said. "I still have some concerns, but we'll address each of them individually as we move forward."
Cornwell said in a statement that Winston's cooperation "shall not operate as a waiver of our right to challenge any aspect of this process."
To arrive at a hearing officer for the case, each party -- Winston and the alleged victim -- is able to strike one of three recommended judges. Cornwell declined to identify which of the three he struck on Winston's behalf.
The judges under consideration to hear the case are former Florida Supreme Court Chief Justices Major Harding, Joseph Hatchett and Charles T. Wells. The judge who hears the case will consider the evidence, decide whether Winston violated FSU's student conduct code and, if necessary, determine any sanctions.
The attorney for the woman who accused Winston of sexually assaulting her in an off-campus apartment, John Clune of Boulder, Colo., also struck a judge from the list, the sports website reports.
Clune told ESPN.com in an email that Cornwell "wants to turn this into a media circus.''
"We would think his client has had enough of that lately,'' Clune said. "Both sides will get the same information from the school, both will be able to testify, and the judge will decide. We are not going to allow a whole new disciplinary process just for Jameis Winston.''
Reach Nancy Smith at nsmith@sunshinestatenews.com or at 228-282-2423. Twitter: @NancyLBSmith
