Florida State University Settles with Jameis Winston's Accuser for $950,000

A woman who accused footballer Jameis Winston of raping her in 2012 while they were both students at Florida State University has settled with the school for $950,000, the New York Times reports. 

The agreement, which was reached on Monday, also calls for Florida State to commit to five years of sexual assualt awareness programs and greater transparency, the site notes.

“I’ll always be disappointed that I had to leave the school I dreamed of attending since I was little,” the alleged victim, Erica Kinsman, said in the statement. “I am happy that FSU has committed to continue making changes in order to ensure a safer environment for all students.”

In her lawsuit, Kinsman accused the univeristy of failing to properly investigate the case, violating Title IX, which requires schools to address sexual violence. The accusations were not made public until almost a year after the alleged rape, the Times notes. 

Winston has denied the allegations, and, as the site notes, was not subject to an interview for the brief police investigation. In 2013, prosecutors did not charge him, nor was he desciplined after a school code-of-conduct hearing in 2014. 

There is still a separate lawsuit against Winston for sexual battery pending in federal court. An invetsigation of the university by the United States Department of Education is also pending, the Times notes. 

FSU president John Thrasher said in a statement that the university was settling to avoid further litigaiton expense. 

“Although we regret we will never be able to tell our full story in court, it is apparent that a trial many months from now would have left F.S.U. fighting over the past rather than looking toward its very bright future,” Thrasher said in the satement.

“We have decided to instead move forward even though we have full faith that the ultimate outcome of a trial would have been consistent with the previous law enforcement investigations and retired Supreme Court Justice Major Harding’s findings in the student conduct hearing.”

“With all the economic demands we face, at some point it doesn’t make sense to continue even though we are convinced we would have prevailed,” he added, according to the Times. 

After the allegations, Winston won the Heisman Trophy and led the university’s team to a national chapionship, before leading them to an undefeated regular season the following year. He was drafted No.1 over all by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2015 NFL draft, starting all 16 games this season. 

Read more at the New York Times.