Publix disputes Jameis Winston's claim he was 'hooked up' with crab legs (2024)

It was either a terrible mistake or a hook-up from a Publix employee, but if Jameis Winston's famed crab legs shoplifting incident was the latter, a company investigation yielded nothing to support that nearly a year ago, according to a Publix spokeswoman.

After Winston's claim on ESPN's Draft Academy that the April 2014 incident wasn't shoplifting but the result of an inside connection, a Publix spokeswoman affirmed that the company's investigation in May did not suggest an employee had given Winston merchandise.

"When we conducted the original investigation with the store associates and management both, we found no information that would corroborate the story that there was any arrangement for Jameis or any other FSU athlete to get any product for free," said Maria Brous, Publix's director of media and community relations.

Winston, the former Florida State quarterback, was cited by the Leon County Sheriff's Office for stealing $32 of crab legs. He completed 20 hours of community service and was suspended briefly from the baseball team.

At the time, Winston said in a statement that he forgot to pay for the items, adding that it was a "terrible mistake for which I'm taking full responsibility." He called the incident "a moment of youthful ignorance."

In his meeting with Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh on Draft Academy, Winston explained that a Publix employee had previously "hooked us up" with a cake for a friend's birthday.

An inside connection that allowed Winston to receive free merchandise likely would have violated NCAA rules and led to eligibility questions.

Brous pointed to the report from the sheriff's office in which Winston said he forgot to pay, which was consistent with the statement his lawyer released at that time.

Despite that, she said Publix employees were asked directly about the possibility that Winston had an arrangement with an employee.

"There was no information that would lead us to believe that any of our associates were involved in giving away product," Brous said.

Store associates and the management team were interviewed, Brous said. Publix sent a letter to the university May 19 informing Florida State of its investigation.

Brous said that if Winston had new information, he could contact Publix directly and the company would take appropriate action, including possibly reopening the investigation.

"If he has information that would lead us or help us to be able to say what he's saying is accurate, then we would want to know that," she said. "We'd be glad to hear it, and we'd be glad to follow up on it."