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Jameis Winston absolved of blame for dressing out before game

Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher said Monday that a communication breakdown led to Jameis Winston dressing out Saturday night before the Seminoles' game with Clemson.

"That was our fault internally," Fisher said during his weekly Monday news conference, blaming it on a miscommunication between the coaching staff and the equipment managers as he absolved Winston of any wrongdoing in the matter.

Winston was initially suspended by Florida State for the first half of the Clemson game for yelling an obscene phrase while in the student union, but the suspension was increased to a full game by the school on Friday night.

Fisher said Winston's actions have not impacted the way his teammates think about him. "They love him," Fisher said.

Fisher also reiterated a point he made last week, saying he thinks suspending Winston will change Winston's behavior.

During the teleconference, Fisher said last week "was trying" and that the postgame locker room was "by far" the most emotional it has been since he has been at FSU. Fisher received the game ball and he said that's the first time that's happened.

He also said the outcome showed that FSU is a team, not just Winston and a bunch of role players.

Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.