Two months after settling a lawsuit with the woman who accused him of sexually assaulting her while they were students at Florida State University, Jameis Winston landed himself back in controversy in relation to the opposite sex on Wednesday, February 22, only this time it was his words and not alleged actions that have him on the hot seat. And it is not grown women, but school aged girls who bore the impact.

Winston was an esteemed guest at Melrose Elementary School in St. Petersburg, Florida, where he was on hand to talk to 3rd and 4th graders about his three life rules for success. Somewhere along the lines of discussing god (1), school (2), and belief in the ability to do anything we put our mind to (3), though, Winston alienated the girls in the room, while encouraging the boys to apply that final principle in their lives.

“All my young boys, stand up. The ladies, sit down, but all my boys, stand up. We strong, right? We strong! We strong, right?" Winston projected, after seeing boredom overcome the group. According to a teacher on hand, one of the female students looked back at her and said "I'm strong too," but Winston had been wrapped up in his focus on empowering the boys to step up. "All my boys, tell me one time: I can do anything I put my mind to," he continued.

Seemingly caught up in the passion he has become celebrated for displaying in the locker room, Winston would only dig himself a deeper hole as he reinforced old gender stereotypes. "Now a lot of boys aren’t supposed to be soft-spoken," he said. “But the ladies, they’re supposed to be silent, polite, gentle. My men, my men (are) supposed to be strong. I want y’all to tell me what the third rule of life is: I can do anything I put my mind to. Scream it!”

By Thursday afternoon video of Winston working the room had been covered across sports and news outlets in major network television, with analysts delving into the psychology behind the remarks. Winston has since released a statement addressing the matter, admitting to having used a poor choice of words. "I was making an effort to interact with a young male in the audience who didn't seem to be paying attention, and I didn't want to single him out so I asked all the boys to stand up," he said. "During my talk, I used a poor word choice that may have overshadowed that positive message for some."

Source: youtube.com