Jameis Winston wants to be the face of an NFL team

The picture of a bare-chested, flabby-bellied Jameis Winston appeared on Twitter the second day of his pre-combine training. The former Florida State quarterback suddenly faced questions not only about his character but also about his physique.

“The face of the franchise,” as Winston called himself six times in an 11-minute, 30-second interview with the media Friday, has lost 12-15 pounds since then, weighing 231 this week.

“A lot of people thought I was fat,” Winston said, drawing laughter. “I’m here. I’m proving everybody wrong. I look good, and I know it.”

On Friday, most of the questions turned to his throwing shoulder.

ESPN first reported that Winston had undergone an electromyogram to examine a weakness in his right shoulder. It was news to his personal coach, George Whitfield, who said Winston has made every throw and completed every drill during training.

“Tests don’t mean a problem,” Whitfield said. “Tests just mean another look. I had no idea. I do know this: On the field, I’ve watched him throw. We have been throwing, testing him and pushing him. He just threw Tuesday. I’m sure it’s precautionary.”

Winston called the brouhaha overblown, insisting his shoulder is healthy. He announced he would throw during quarterback drills Saturday, meaning all the top prospects are expected to participate.

“I’ve been playing baseball. I was a pitcher,” Winston said. “That may be why the shoulder thing.”

Winston rates as the favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs are in need of a quarterback after releasing veteran Josh McCown, whom they signed as a free agent last year. They used first-round picks on quarterbacks four times previously, including Vinny Testaverde with the No. 1 overall choice in 1987.

“I know how hard I’ve worked, and it would be a privilege to get accepted by the Glazer family in Tampa,” Winston said. “I know I have to gain their trust. I know I have to gain a lot of people’s trust. But whatever happens, this is just my opportunity, and I’m going to take advantage of this opportunity, because this is what I dream of. I dream of being a Hall of Famer one day, and I dream of being the face of someone’s franchise.”

Winston, 21, looks the part of a franchise quarterback. He has the résumé, too, having made 27 starts, with a national championship and a Heisman Trophy. In two seasons, he completed 66 percent of his passes for 7,964 yards with 65 touchdowns and 28 interceptions.

“I think a lot of people understand him through headlines,” Whitfield said, “but then the pendulum swings all the way to the other side, they also know his track record. They can see all the heads on his wall.”

Winston’s red flags come off the field, which include a sexual assault allegation and a citation for shoplifting crab legs from a grocery store. Winston was never criminally charged after the rape allegation, though Erica Kinsman recently made her story public in the documentary The Hunting Ground.

“You’ll see in a year,” Winston said. “I can’t predict the future. You can’t predict the future. But what I can do right now is do what I need to do to be the face of a franchise.”

The Bucs appear unfazed by Winston’s controversial past. He remains on their draft board and among the candidates for the top choice, coach Lovie Smith said.

“I understand the allegations against him,” Smith said. “I understand that he went through the justice system, the court system to be exonerated on some allegations against him. I understand the college things a lot of guys do that you wish you wouldn’t later on. I understand some of the things that he did that are on his record right now. We just take all the information that we can possibly get right now.

“It’s early. … We have a lot more research to do, and we’ll do that. But with the information we have right now, we haven’t taken him off of our list.”

This story was originally published February 20, 2015 at 6:42 PM with the headline "Jameis Winston wants to be the face of an NFL team."