Jameis Winston Accused of 'Fix In' With Code of Conduct Hearing

A lawyer for the woman who accused Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston of sexually assaulting her says “the fix was in” when the university cleared him of violating the school’s code of conduct.

The lawyer, Baine Kerr, told the Associated Press that Florida State did not conduct a fair hearing, calling the proceedings a “mockery … that ignored what the evidence was.”

Citing evidence “insufficient to satisfy the burden of proof,” officials cleared Winston of allegations that he violated four sections of the school’s code of conduct — two for sexual misconduct and two for endangerment. Winston, last season’s Heisman Trophy winner, could have been expelled had he been found guilty.

“I don’t want to impugn the proceeding as corrupt, but I think it was biased and the fix was in,” Kerr told the AP. “It’s all about a football game 10 days from today. It turned out to be just a predetermined whitewash to keep a guy playing football.”

Winston did not testify during the hearing but gave a written statement saying that sex with the woman was consensual.

“The proper forum to getting to the truth is going to be the court of law, not, essentially, a sham court like this one turned out to be,” Kerr said.

Winston’s accuser has five days to appeal the school’s decision.

Florida State is currently being investigated by the U.S. Department of Education on how it handled the Winston case, which could be a possible Title IX violation.

The Seminoles, who have won 29 games in a row, face Oregon in the College Football Playoffs semifinal on Jan. 1 at the Rose Bowl.

This article originally appeared on SI.com

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