Nike has signed Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston and Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota to endorsement contracts.
Terms of the deals were not disclosed, but the world’s largest shoe and apparel company confirmed to ESPN.com that it signed Winston. ESPN sources said Nike has also signed this year’s Heisman Trophy winner, Mariota, and the two runners-up, Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon and Alabama wide receiver Amari Cooper.
NFLDraftScout.com ranks Winston as the No. 1 overall prospect and Mariota as No. 2. Cooper is ranked as No. 5 overall (first as wide receiver) and Gordon as No. 17 (second as running back).
Winston is expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft, which will take place in Chicago beginning on April 30. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers own the first pick in the draft and they reportedly are deciding between Winston and Mariota. The Tennessee Titans own the second pick.
The woman who accused Winston of raping her in December 2012 filed a civil lawsuit against him on Thursday in a Florida state court in Orlando.
Attorney John Clune filed the lawsuit on behalf of the alleged victim, Erica Kinsman. The suit, filed in Orange County, Fla., seeks damages for “intentional infliction of emotional distress arising out of forcible rape.”
Kinsman, a former Florida State student, said she was raped by the FSU quarterback at his apartment, but Winston said the sexual encounter was consensual and police in Tallahassee, Fla., and the state attorney’s office never charged Winston. Winston was cleared of four violations of FSU’s student conduct code hearing after a student judiciary hearing in December 2014.
“Jameis has stated his innocence regarding serious charges made against him,” a Nike spokesman said in a statement provided to ESPN.com. “We’ll continue to monitor the situation.”
