Nov. 12--Jameis Winston's FSU conduct hearing in connection with a sexual assault allegation has been delayed until Dec. 1.
Winston was originally scheduled to undergo a hearing the week of Nov. 17 to determine whether he violated as many as four of the school's code of conduct policies for his involvement in an alleged sexual assault from December 2012.
FSU agreed to push back the hearing date to Dec. 1, a source with knowledge of the hearing told the Orlando Sentinel.
Winston's attorney, David Cornwell, previously expressed concern that he and his client would not have enough time to prepare for the hearing when the date was first announced earlier this month.
John Clune, one of the attorneys representing the accuser, argued he did not think the time frame was unfair to Winston.
"Both parties got the same materials at the exact same time," Clune said earlier this month. "Also, no complaint was ever 'filed' and there is no such process to do so. A school's Title IX obligations to investigate are triggered by learning of a report of sexual assault which happened almost two years ago in this case. If Mr. Winston has concerns about why the process took so long, a delay that kept Mr. Winston playing football, he can take that complaint up with Florida State."
A former FSU student accused Winston of raping her in December 2012. The state attorney declined to file criminal charges against in December 2013. Following that, many of the investigation records became publicly available.
The hearing and subsequent appeals process, if needed, may not wrap up until after the national championship on Jan. 12. A formal decision letter, according to FSU's code of conduct, will be sent to the student within 10 class or exam days from the conclusion of the hearing, and an appeals process could take 60-90 days. The last day of FSU's fall semester is Dec. 12 and classes do not resume for undergraduates until Jan. 7.
FSU's code of conduct states the hearing could be held without Winston in attendance, and he would be subject to any sanctions handed down.
The university is under investigation by the Department of Education for compliance with Title IX policies, which require conduct hearings in connection with any sexual assault claims made against a current student.
