Jameis Winston Says Publix Employee Gave Him the Crab Legs

Controversy, whether real or exaggerated, always seemed to follow quarterback Jameis Winston during his time at Florida State. Naturally, this is a big part of the interview process as the former Heisman Trophy winner prepares for the NFL Draft.

To help him prepare for the questions he'll likely face, Winston visited with Jim Harbaugh and his Michigan coaching staff as part of ESPN's Draft Academy. Jedd Fisch, the Michigan quarterbacks coach, brings up the crab leg incident, which he describes as "the elephant in the room."

Three months after winning a national championship, Winston was cited for stealing crab legs from a Tallahassee Publix. When Fisch brings up the topic, Winston offers up the information that he received them for free and Harbaugh asks him to tell the story.

"A week before (the crab legs incident) it was my buddy's birthday and we had got a cake," Winston explained. "We met a dude that worked inside Publix and he said, 'Hey, anytime you come in here, I got you.'

"So that day we just walked out, and he hooked us up with that. When I came in to get crab legs, I did the same thing and he just gave them to me and I walked out. Someone from inside the store had told the security that I didn't pay for them and that's how the whole thing started."

At the time, Winston said that he went in with the intent to pay for the crab legs.

"I went to the supermarket with the intent to purchase dinner but made a terrible mistake for which I'm taking full responsibility," Winston said in a statement. "In a moment of youthful ignorance, I walked out of the store without paying for one of my items."

The Hueytown native repaid the cost of the crab legs and finished community service in Tallahassee after the incident.

Here's the full conversation from Draft Academy.