No criminal charges for Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston

Daniel Uthman | USA TODAY Sports

Show Caption Hide Caption Video Analysis: FSU QB Jameis Winston cleared USA TODAY Sports' Paul Myerberg breaks down the investigation of Heisman favorite Jameis Winston.

TALLAHASSEE — Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston will not be charged after an investigation into an alleged sexual battery, State Attorney William Meggs said today.

"We have carefully examined the evidence in this case and have concluded no charges will be filed in this case," Meggs said Thursday. "We prosecute the cases that we have evidence on."

Winston had been under investigation since Nov. 13 in connection with the alleged Dec. 7, 2012 incident. The case did not reach the desk of the State Attorney William Meggs until nearly 11 months after the alleged incident, and only then after media outlets made public records requests to view the case file from the Tallahassee police.

"Obviously it would have been somewhat better if we had been involved a little bit earlier," Meggs said.

Winston's attorney Tim Jansen, who denied the allegation to USA TODAY Sports, said of Winston, "He was very happy. "I can say he gave me a hug. It was not relief, because he knew he didn't do anything."

Winston released a written statement through Jansen that read, "I want to thank my family, friends, coaches and teammates for standing by me during a difficult time.

"I also want to thank the State Attorney's Office for examining all of the facts and reaching a decision in a conclusive manner. It's been difficult to stay silent through this process, but I never lost faith in the truth and in who I am.

"I'm very relieved I'll be able to continue my education at Florida State and I'm excited I can now get back to helping our team achieve its goals."

The woman's attorney, Patricia Carroll, released the following statement in the wake of Meggs' announcement: "The victim and her family appreciate the State Attorney's efforts in attempting to conduct a proper investigation after an inordinate delay by the Tallahassee Police Department."

"The victim in this case had the courage to immediately report her rape to the police and she relied upon them to seek justice.

"The victim has grave concerns that her experience, as it unfolded in the public eye and through social media, will discourage other victims of rape from coming forward and reporting."

Winston, a redshirt freshman, has quarterbacked Florida State to the top of the Bowl Championship Series Standings and the No. 1 ranking in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll and is considered the top contender to win the Heisman trophy on Dec. 14.

Florida State is scheduled to leave Tallahassee on Thursday night for Charlotte, site of Saturday's ACC Championship. Two days later at 5 p.m., Heisman trophy ballots are due.

Jameis Winston faces no criminal charges FSU quarterback Jameis Winston learned today that he will not be charged with sexual battery in the alleged rape of a fellow student.

Florida State's director of athletics, Stan Wilcox, said in a statement Thursday, "Based on this afternoon's announcement by the State Attorney, Jameis Winston's status as a Florida State University student athlete remains unchanged.

"We have been respectful, impartial, and fully cooperative in the legal process that has now run its course. I will have no further comment on this matter."

Winston submitted a DNA sample on Nov. 14, according to Jansen, and that sample turned up positive on Nov. 19, according to a Florida Department of Law Enforcement report. Winston's DNA was found in the woman's underwear, but another male's DNA was found on the woman's shorts.

Meggs said Thursday, "In the laboratory work that we did, there were DNA from males. One was identified as being Winston's DNA and the other was unknown. Had we proceeded to trial, having an unknown DNA in a sexual assault case would be a problem."

Meggs told USA TODAY Sports on Nov. 15 his office is supposed to review all sexual assault cases to ensure law enforcement agencies have properly investigated and collected evidence before deciding whether there's probable cause to make an arrest. He was unsure why that didn't happen in this case.

Asked Thursday whether police did not handle the case properly, Meggs said, "That will be something that others will have to decide. ... Obviously it would have been better if it had been handled differently earlier."

"We could have identified the suspect a lot earlier if other things had been done."

On Thursday acting Tallahassee police chief Tom Coe said in a statement, "The police reports that we can now release, because the case is closed, contain details of our investigation and facts of the case. Those reports document that our department took the case seriously, processed evidence and conducted an investigation based on information available at that time. The reports also show that, while the victim was unwilling to move forward with charges at that time, all evidence was preserved in the event she was willing to move forward at a later date.

"We take seriously the obligation to respond to any individual who wants to report a crime, regardless of who they are accusing. We also have an obligation to the accused to investigate to see if a crime actually occurred. That is our job. Likewise, we respect the authority of the State Attorney's Office to not only look at the evidence, but also conduct its own investigations, and support the decision the State Attorney has made in this case."

Meggs reopened the case Nov. 13 and assigned two investigators, though he acknowledged the 11-month lag time complicated matters. "It's not as easy as it would be if we were fresh on it, obviously, but it's not impossible," Meggs said on Nov. 15. "I think we're going to be able to reconstruct the events of that night."

On Nov. 20, the family of the alleged victim issued a statement identifying Winston as her assailant and criticizing the Tallahassee Police Department's handling of the investigation. The statement said a TPD detective working on the case warned the woman's attorney that she would be "raked over the coals" if she proceeded with the complaint.

On Nov. 21, Jansen told reporters he was not surprised by the results of the DNA test but said the interaction between his client and the alleged victim was "consensual."

The next day, the family of the alleged victim released a statement through their attorney questioning the timing and rationale behind comments Jansen and emphasizing that the alleged incident was not consensual. "To be clear, the victim did not consent," attorney Patricia Carroll wrote in the statement, issued to USA TODAY Sports and other media outlets. "This was a rape."

On Nov. 27, Tallahassee police released their account, in timeline form, of their handling of the alleged incident, one that countered statements by both attorneys.

Jansen said he had met with Meggs earlier that day "to speed things up", though Meggs said "absolutely nothing" was accomplished by Jansen's visit. Jansen expressed concern to USA TODAY Sports that the duration of the investigation could affect Winston's chances of winning the Heisman trophy, awarded annually to college football's most outstanding player.

On Thursday, shortly before Meggs' announcement, Tallahassee police released search warrants that detail the accusations toward Winston, warrants that did not include Winston's name.

Winston's Heisman candidacy has seemingly been unaffected by the investigation. When the State Attorney's inquiry launched, only 20% of Heisman voters surveyed by USA TODAY Sports said the existence of an investigation would affect their willingness to vote for Winston. And Winston's lead in USA TODAY Sports' weekly Heisman survey has grown every week since mid-November.

Florida State football coach Jimbo Fisher said in a statement Thursday, "As you might imagine, I was pleased to hear that the State Attorney's Office exonerated Jameis in the matter. I'm not going to answer any questions about the situation, but I would like to point out that our community and our university are blessed to have really good people in place to review matters like this.

"I know Jameis is pleased he can focus on being a student at a great university and he's excited about helping our team achieve its goals this year. Right now, we're all looking forward to what we have in front of us on Saturday."

Contributing: George Schroeder of USA TODAY Sports, Jennifer Portman, Jeff Burlew and Sean Rossman of The Tallahassee Democrat.