Florida State University quarterback and 2013 Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston found himself in a little trouble earlier this week when he walked out of a Publix grocery story in Tallahassee, Fla. without paying for a $32.72 bag of crab legs.
Although he was not arrested, Winston was given a civil citation and will have to serve 20 hours of community service. He was also suspended from the FSU baseball team, for which he pitches and plays outfield.
Of course, the Internet went wild…
But when it comes to college football, you can always count on Alabama taking it to the next level.
Winston is from Hueytown, Ala., but chose to attend FSU over either of his home state’s SEC powerhouses. So when Eric Smith, the manager of Jack’s Foodland in Eva, Ala., saw an opportunity to add his two cents to the Winston conversation, he made the most of it.
On Thursday morning, Smith posted a picture of his store’s latest shipment of crab legs. On the sticker, it read “Jameis Winston King Crab Legs — $17.99 per pound.”
Within hours, the image had gone so viral online that even ESPN’s SportsCenter Twitter account posted it.
Jack's Foodland grocery store in Alabama is advertising "Jameis Winston King Crab Legs." (via Eric Smith) pic.twitter.com/zbBdBBw0gR
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 1, 2014
Yellowhammer caught up with Smith by phone this afternoon. He was clearly surprised by all the attention.
“With all the jokes everyone was making about Winston, we decided to print out some stickers as our own little joke,” Smith laughed. “So we did it and I put it up on my Facebook page and it really just blew up from there. I can’t believe all the attention it’s gotten. I really can’t.”
But unfortunately for any folks in north Alabama who might want to make the trek to Eva to pick up a package of Jameis Winston King Crab Legs, the store didn’t actually put them up for sale.
“We didn’t sell any, not even the one I took a picture of,” Smith said. “I’m not even sure it would be legal to do that. We just so happened to have a new shipment of crab legs come in, the timing was right, and it was a joke we just couldn’t pass up.”
Follow Cliff on Twitter @Cliff_Sims
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