Heisman: Former Nebraska QB Eric Crouch left Florida State QB Jameis Winston off of his ballot

In an interview on the Dan Patrick Show, former Heisman Trophy winner Eric Crouch admitted he left Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston off of his ballot.  The former Nebraska Cornhusker looked to almost physically struggle with the topic of Winston because he looked like he really struggled with the issue.  He ultimately cited unanswered questions with Winston off of the field as the reason he left Winston off of the ballot.  Crouch was quick to point out that having met Winston and have gotten to spend time with him, he thought he was a wonderful young man.  He later mentioned Reggie Bush and the concern of having the trophy taken away.  Crouch seemed to be positioning himself in the light of defending the honor of the award, which is fine, but that logic runs into a serious problem when he revealed his ballot.

Included on his ballot, Crouch had Arizona running back Ka’Deem Carey at the top of the ballot followed by Northern Illinois quarterback Jordan Lynch and rounded it out with Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota.  All three had incredible years and all three deserved to be in the conversation on the field.

Unfortunately, it does not appear as though Crouch realized what he did.  Leaving Winston off of the ballot over off field concerns is his choice and he is entitled to make that call.  The problem is that Carey was suspended the first game of the season stemming from an arrest where he was charged with domestic violence involving his then pregnant girlfriend.  The charges were ultimately dismissed, while the charges against Winston were never filed.

Carey’s season on the field was arguably the most deserving of any running back in the country as he had over 100 yards rushing in every game he played with 5 games over 150 yards and a couple over 200 yards.  Nevertheless, it is pretty difficult to defend leaving Winston off of the ballot for off the field questions but include Carey.