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Jameis Winston led Florida State’s football team to its most recent national championship in the 2013 season. Now he’s trying to help fund the next one.
Winston, who just finished his 10th season in the NFL, told Front Office Sports at the Super Bowl that he has helped out the Seminoles despite missing out on the NIL era. Winston also played baseball for the Seminoles, which made him a rare two-sport athlete on campus.
“I definitely donated to my alma mater,” Winston told FOS. “However they distribute that money is up to them. But the NIL phase is huge, right, because you’re seeing college players making a large sum of money, but you’re also seeing them get connected with lawyers, with financial advisors, with a different type of person that they wouldn’t have access to until they were drafted into the NFL.”
Other NFL and NBA stars have contributed to their schools’ NIL funds, including Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (Ohio State) and Cavaliers guard James Harden (Arizona State). Recently, Indiana alum and Mavs part-owner Mark Cuban has started contributing to the Hoosiers’ athletic department after years of strictly donating to academics.
Winston told FOS he’s given “more than a million” to FSU, but didn’t say how frequently he’s contributed. His career earnings are roughly $80 million, according to Spotrac, and is currently on a two-year, $8 million deal with the Giants, which can reach $16 million in incentives.
He spent three seasons at FSU and went 26–1 in two seasons as the starting quarterback. FSU made the College Football Playoff both years with Winston under center.
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