Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston, who is widely expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in this year's NFL draft, reportedly met with commissioner Roger Goodell in New York last week.
The MMQB.com reported that Winston requested the meeting, which lasted five to six hours. Besides Goodell, Winston reportedly also met with NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent and was briefed by other officials on programs available to NFL players, both on and off the field of play.
Greg Genske, one of Winston's agents, told the website that as soon as Winston announced he was leaving school early to enter the draft he knew he wanted a chance to speak with Goodell. Genske told the website that, although last Thursday's meeting was mostly to educate his client about the NFL, Winston did get a chance to talk about his past with the commissioner.
"He went out of his way to make a good impression, and to show that he understood what was going to be expected of him in the NFL," a league executive who took part in one of the meetings with Winston told The MMQB.com.
Winston deleted his Twitter account last Friday, one day after meeting with Goodell.
Winston was accused of sexual assault at Florida State but never charged and later cleared by former Florida Supreme Court Justice Major Harding of violating the school's code of conduct. He also had other highly publicized off-field incidents while at Florida State, including receiving a civil citation for shoplifting crab legs from a grocery store and yelling an obscene phrase in public, which earned him a one-game suspension.
Several draft experts, including ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay, have Winston being selected No. 1 overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Winston made a pre-draft visit with the Buccaneers last week.
