Florida State officials have postponed quarterback Jameis Winston's code-of-conduct hearing.
Numerous media reports say the hearing now will be Dec. 1; it originally had been scheduled for next week. Possible punishments from the hearing -- which centers on sexual assault allegations from December of 2012 -- range from probation to expulsion.
Dec. 1 is the Monday after the regular-season finale against Florida, and it also is five days before the ACC championship game. A potential appeals process might not end until after the national championship game, which is scheduled for Jan. 12.
Last week, David Cornwell, an attorney advising Winston, sent a letter to FSU requesting a delay of the hearing. On Monday, USA Today reported that Cornwell sent an e-mail to FSU again asking for a delay.
The State Attorney's Office in Tallahassee declined to charge Winston in December 2013, with State Attorney Willie Meggs saying prosecutors must "have a reasonable likelihood of a conviction" when they file charges and he said his office didn't have it in this instance. But the school's hearing doesn't have the same burden of proof.
Former Florida Supreme Court Justice Major Harding will oversee the hearing -- which could feature testimony from the accuser and from Winston -- after school officials decided last month that the case should be handled by an outside arbiter. Once the hearing ends, Harding has 10 days to make a ruling, which then can be appealed.
The potential exists that Winston leaves FSU before the appeals process is finished.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
