Bo knows.
But Jameis Winston apparently doesn't care.
The fraternity of Heisman Trophy winners is known to be a close-knit group, one that stays in close touch in many cases, and has even made itself enough of a brand to be the subject of a national advertising campaign. But former Heisman winner Bo Jackson left little doubt that a rift has developed between himself and Winston, the Florida State quarterback who won the award last year. Jackson suggested on The Jim Rome Show Tuesday that Winston blew off the guidance Jackson tried to give him earlier this year.
And the former two-sport star with the Los Angeles Raiders and Kansas City Royals clearly isn't happy about it.
"I really don't know who is giving this young man guidance. I have communicated with him and I just talked to him like I was his dad. The things that you need to do. And this was before the incident where he was (suspended) from the baseball team (for stealing crab legs)," Jackson said. "I'm the type of person, I will go out of my way to help anybody. Normally, I don't like giving people advice if I haven't been down that road myself. But if I give you advice on something that I know more about than you by just falling out of bed in the morning, if you can't take that advice and learn from it, then I've got nothing else to do with the situation. You're on your own."
Pressed about exactly what sort of guidance he gave the Seminoles' third-year sophomore, Jackson wouldn't divulge it, saying it was between he and Winston. But whatever it was, it wasn't delivered gently.
"If I told you what I told him, it'll probably singe the hairs in your ears," said Jackson.
There is little doubt Winston could learn plenty from Jackson, who in his day was every bit the star Winston is, and more. But Jackson was also noted for maintaining a high level of privacy in his life and being very reserved around media. And while he did run afoul of the NCAA in losing his eligibility to play baseball at AU, Jackson was never the lightning rod for trouble that Winston has been.
"I will lend you a hand. And if you take that hand for granted, I will yank it back and go about my business, go on about my life. That's how it is," Jackson said. "Jameis Winston needs to make some changes in his life. Because it's affecting him now and it's definitely going to affect him down the road."
Winston has steered the Seminoles (6-0) to five wins out of six games, having sat out FSU's narrow win over Clemson on suspension. He is now 19-0 as a starter in his career, and is now playing to win back-to-back national championships in his first two years as a starter, as Alabama's AJ McCarron did in 2011-2012.
The distractions for both Winston and the Seminoles, however, have been many. Along with his sexual assault case, for which he wasn't legally charged but now faces a disciplinary hearing, the school is also investigating whether he profited from signed memorabilia. FSU coach Jimbo Fisher said Tuesday that Winston told him he did not take money to sign. He was suspended from the Clemson game earlier this year for shouting a vulgar phrase at the FSU student union.
He would be eligible for the 2015 NFL Draft if he chose to leave FSU after the season, but Winston said over the summer that he first wants to earn a degree, which would keep him at FSU at least through the 2015 season. NFL scouts have suggested he needs another year in college not only to work on his skills as a quarterback, but to rehabilitate his image, as well.
But whoever Winston ends up listening to where his future is concerned, it won't be Jackson.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
