Jameis Winston has traveled a journey of self-exploration that has led him to a point in his career where he is now the embodiment of what leadership, fellowship, brotherhood and inspiration looks like from an NFL veteran.
The New York Giants quarterback struggled in his college career with off-the-field incidents at Florida State that cast doubts on his character but not his talent. He entered the league with consecutive 4,000+ yard passing seasons. Then he eventually became a hired gun in the NFL, going from former Heisman-winning QB with the Bucs, to spot start roles with the Saints, the Browns and eventually New York.
Winston can now reflect on the moments in his life where he took losses to have bigger gains later. Learning experiences that taught him about life, people, pressures of having money and being accountable for everyone around him.
Jameis Winston Says The People Around Him Were Spending $400K Per Month Of His Money
He says he enabled his “circle” to spend nearly $400K in a month before his bank statement challenged his belief that eight figures couldn’t run dry.
The current starting QB for the 3-1-1 New York Giants recently appeared on the “No Free Lunch” podcast with former NFL star Ndamukong Suh, and reflected on how he was taken advantage of by his inner circle after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers made him the first pick in the 2015 draft. Winston signed a four-year deal worth $25.35 million, which included a $16.69 million signing bonus.
“The stewardship that I had with my money… I got to a point, Suh, where I enabled the people around me, like, $400,000 a month…in a year” Winston said.
Suh made sure he heard Winston correctly and asked, “Like, it was a month?”
Jameis repeated his shocking revelation.
“A month, bro. Like, on clothes, trying to do stuff on eBay. It was a lot,” Winson recalled.
Jameis says he opened up his bank account to his people so that they could execute any number of schemes and live a higher quality of life, but they were just spending up his hard-earned money and eating away at his wealth.
“It was a lot. Like, they called themselves trying to flip stuff. And that’s when I was like, ‘OK, now, bro,’ because when you see eight figures, you like, ‘Oh man, this ain’t going nowhere.’ But when you read your monthly statement … And you see a number that you’re not even touching it, and you see that number, you’re like, ‘Oh no, this ain’t going to go.’”
It’s easy to understand how this could happen to someone like Winston. He is a very embracing individual and he takes his relationships with people seriously. Winston gives a lot of himself to others.
His ability to unify men and turn lemons into lemon juice is infectious and although he is a shell of the guy who threw 33 TDs with the Bucs before Tom Brady came in and took his job, his words of wisdom and positive attitude in the face of adversity has become legendary. Currently, he navigates the New York Giants through a season where their franchise quarterback – a player Winston has mentored to success – is sidelined for the season.
