On the Buccaneers’ final offensive play of last Sunday’s loss to the Panthers, quarterback Jameis Winston lost a fumble on a sack by Kawann Short and then earned an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for arguing that he recovered the ball.
The outburst continued on the sideline with Bucs players and other team personnel trying to keep him from going back onto the field. On Thursday, Winston expressed regret for that behavior.
“I knew I had the ball and it didn’t go my way,” Winston said, via ESPN.com. “Now, looking back, I know I can’t do that. But man, I want to win. That’s just being competitive. If you want to win and if you feel like you had something and someone tells you otherwise, ‘Man. Come on now.’”
Winston also addressed a locker room spat with defensive tackle Chris Baker, who generated some bad feelings from his teammates for a late offside penalty. Linebacker Kwon Alexander could be heard saying Winston’s name in an apparent effort to keep the quarterback from a confrontation, but Winston said Thursday that he just “joined a conversation that was going on” and didn’t confront Baker.
However you describe the scene, it was another addition to the long list of things that have gone wrong for the Buccaneers this year. That should lead to changes in the offseason and finding a better outlet for emotions wouldn’t be a bad one to add to the list.
