David Cornwell, lawyer for top NFL draft prospect Jameis Winston , told a tale of two trophies Friday in recounting Winston's meeting early last month with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell .
Though the star Florida State quarterback has had off-the-field issues, including a sexual assault allegation that resulted in no criminal charges, he was not summoned by Goodell to New York. Cornwell said he set up the meeting at Winston's request.
Cornwell said a Super Bowl trophy in Goodell's office caught Winston's attention.
"Jameis walked right up to that and said, 'I want to get one of these,' '' Cornwell said during a panel discussion on sports and law at Villanova University .
He said Goodell gestured toward another trophy and said, "I prefer you get one of those.
Cornwell said Goodell pointed to the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award for volunteer and charity work.
Cornwell said Winston has work to do in how he deals with his life in the NFL away from the game.
"Jameis is ready to be an NFL quarterback on the field, but he is not ready to be an NFL player off the field," said Cornwell.
But Cornwell said the NFL has resources to help players with that transition. He said those resources were explained to Winston during his meeting with Goodell and Troy Vincent, NFL executive vice president of football operations.
"I told (Winston), 'Listen, if you decide not to avail yourself of these resources, you'd better have an option … because this league will chew you up and spit you out if you don't," said Cornwell.
"So our role is to make sure that first he knows what these resources are, and second that he avails himself of them. … He's not just a football player. He is a man who plays football. … We have to assist him in developing and growing as a person and becoming a man in this system, and it's not going to be easy."
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