NCAA Football: Jameis Winston's Dad Requests Special Treatment For His Son. It Shouldn't Be Permitted.

Comes now this story that Jameis Winston's father wants Florida State to appoint a full-time "handler" for the younger Winston. Seems his recent forays into shoplifting and compromising sexual situations have left his dad concerned that he may implode from his "youthful ignorance" before his meal ticket can be punched:

His father, Antonor Winston, told USA Today he's working with the university on how to best manage the attention around his son and would like some form of security and supervision around his son at all times moving forward.

First of all, Mr. Winston, this looks like an NCAA extra benefit to me. I know it's pretty important to you that your son doesn't mess up his life — it surely is to all people with children in the NCAA meat-grinder.

But sir, to request special handling of your son is unethical on many levels. In the first place, it calls into question your own parental ability. In the second, your son is now, according to the law, a grown man who may serve in the military, vote, and take on other aspects of citizenship. As such, it is important that he learn how to behave in society, and if he is unable to do so without a 24/7 "handler" to review all his decisions for sanity, then perhaps he is unworthy of the lofty position to which his athletic talents have elevated him.

Third, it is vast hubris to place your son above others in similar or identical situations. I know that those other people mean much less to you than your son does, but to the rest of us, the situation is the same. It should be the same for the FSU athletics department as well.

In summary, sir, your request is both frivolous and should be forbidden by the NCAA bylaws. His high profile is the natural consequence of success, and it is your responsibility, not that of the university, to see he learns to handle that success. If you want to pay for a person to babysit Jameis, then by all means, indulge yourself.

Otherwise, I say he gets to do it himself, like virtually every other young NCAA athlete in America — and like so many other Heisman trophy winners before him. Some had more success handling the fame than others, but none of them deserved exceptional handling. Your son may be special to you, but he should not be given extraordinary treatment because of his fame, or your inability to impress upon him the importance of legal compliance and the dangers of careless or reckless behavior to his future.