Attorney: Jameis Winston, complainant had consensual sex

Jennifer Portman and Jeff Burlew | Tallahassee Democrat

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Tim Jansen, a Tallahassee attorney representing Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston in a sexual-assault complaint against him, said in a news conference Thursday morning that sex between his client and the complainant was consensual.

When asked whether the sex was consensual, Jansen replied, "absolutely."

Jansen retreated when pressed by reporters who asked him to confirm what he just said, according to the Associated Press.

"I'm not saying that," Jansen said. "I'm saying the eyewitnesses that were there will verify that any material that was found, or any evidence that was found, is consistent with him (doing) nothing wrong."

Jansen added that he anticipated his client's DNA would match the DNA found on the complainant.

"We are not surprised with the results of the DNA," he said. "We voluntarily submitted to a DNA, the only thing we are surprised by is it was leaked out by law enforcement," he said. "The question the people should ask is why is it being leaked? For what purpose?"



Jansen held the news conference in response to a report on ESPN.com that DNA taken from the complainant matched Winston's DNA. Winston submitted to a DNA swab a week ago on campus.

"I don't think it's a secret what the defense is when I tell you that we are not surprised his DNA was found. We anticipated it would be found. We never, ever said he wasn't there."

Jansen said he was outraged by the leak, and it harmed his client's reputation. He said the leak must have come from TPD, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement or the State Attorney's Office.

FDLE Commissioner Gerald Bailey earlier Thursday confirmed his agency conducted the DNA-matching test — without detailing its findings — and forwarded those conclusions to TPD and State Attorney Willie Meggs' office.

Attorney: Jameis Winston submitted a DNA test Defense attorney Tim Jansen held a news conference to denounce leaks in the sexual-battery case that involves his client, Florida State star QB Jameis Winston.

Jansen continued to maintain that his client had done nothing wrong. He said Winston would be exonerated, in part because of the accounts of what he said were two eyewitnesses. Jansen said DNA was collected from one of those witnesses as well.

The family of the woman who filed the complaint issued a statement Wednesday identifying Winston as her assailant and criticizing the Tallahassee Police Department's handling of the investigation. The statement said a TPD detective working on the case warned the woman's attorney that she would be "raked over the coals" if she proceeded with the complaint.

TPD officials have said little about the case, citing the ongoing investigation.

Jennifer Portman and Jeff Burlew write for the Tallahassee Democrat.