Time has passed and it has now fully settled in that Winston will not be present for the Buccaneers in the first three games due to a sexual assault case stemming from an Uber incident in March 2016. Through it all though it seems that his teammates are sticking with him.
Significant players such as the vocal Kwon Alexander, DeSean Jackson, and Cameron Brate to name a few, have publicly voiced their continued support for Winston. They have made comments from stating he’s a good fella to a we’ve got your back through thick and thin tone. Which is worth its weight in gold. As these guys are with him more than anyone else, and therefore know who the true Winston is. No matter what a team is going through you want to see that the leader of said team can still have his players rally around him. Especially if he’s the central reason why they are going through a rough patch.
The fact that players are willingly supporting Winston publicly, says two things in my opinion: 1) His leadership is strong enough to endure if he makes big mistakes 2) This team trusts Winston. Interestingly enough, this suspension may just be a blessing in disguise as it gives Winston and the team a chance to show their resiliency. If they do in fact show said resiliency, it may just be the push they need to take the next step forward.
