What does Jameis Winston have in common with college-aged Peyton Manning? Other than being among the best quarterbacks of their time, they've both found themselves in hot water thanks to allegations of sexual misconduct.

Jameis Winston catches a lot of heat for his immaturity, and deservedly so. Even after the controversial rape allegation that cast a cloud over his Heisman-winning season, the Florida State quarterback has continued to make headlines for inglorious purposes, whether it's stealing food from a grocery store or yelling graphic sexual slurs in a public setting.

He's certainly no golden child. Then again, neither was Manning.

Today he's one of the most popular figures in the NFL, and well-known for his sportsmanship and for being an all-around good guy. But according to a new column by Jason McIntyre of TheBigLead, Manning should be counting his blessings that he didn't grow up in the social media era. As the article points out, Manning had a sexual misconduct suit against him that is virtually unknown to the public at large.

In the suit, Manning was accused by a then-University of Tennessee female trainer of dropping his pants during an injury examination, and placing his buttocks and private parts on her face.

That sounds bad on its own, but it gets worse: Another student-athlete observed the incident and, several years later, wrote Manning a letter, urging him to admit what he had done.

The trainer immediately brought her complaint to the university, and she won a settlement from the school before leaving her position.

But the incident resurfaced several years later, when Manning wrote his perspective in his autobiography. He described the trainer as having a "vulgar mouth." The trainer, who was then the program director at Florida Southern College, was demoted and apparently lost her job due to the vulgar accusation.

Manning had settled with her out of court over the incident, but he had to re-settle with her once again after discussing the incident on ESPN , which violated the terms of the agreement.

All in all, it's a story that tarnishes the image Manning has cultivated over a long, successful career, and an incident that he no doubt regrets. If this had become a major national news story while Manning was still in college, it's one that could have altered the course of his career.

TheBigLead argues that Winston and other athletes face extreme scrutiny for their actions -- not unwarranted, particularly in Winston's case, but extreme nonetheless. Social media has become a fishbowl in which famous individuals are routinely poked and prodded, and if Manning was of a different generation, we might all have a different opinion on the man.

Given the deeply negative public opinion focused toward the NFL this week, maybe it's the worst possible time for Manning to have this story resurface.

Then again, with all the other noise in the league, maybe it's the best week.

Best, Worst NFL Team Arrest Rates

 

WORST: MINNESOTA VIKINGS

Adrian Peterson is the poster-child, but the Vikings have a genuinely systemic problem: Their 32 arrests in the past 10 years are tied for the league lead. As fans grow impatient with illegal activity among players, franchises like Minnesota's may feel the heat for their role.

 

WORST: DENVER BRONCOS

Tied with the Vikings is the Denver Broncos, which has had as many arrests since 2005 as the NFL has teams. Despite the well-known locker room presences of Tim Tebow and then Peyton Manning, Broncos players have a knack for finding trouble.

 

WORST: CINCINNATI BENGALS

With their recent streak of playoff appearances, you can't quite call them the Bungles. But that string of successes has come amid plenty of off-field problems: Cincinnati's NFL team has had 31 arrests since 2005.

 

WORST: TENNESSEE TITANS

Pacman Jones may be one of the team's most notorious criminal problems, but he's far from alone. In the past 10 years, a Titans player has been arrested 30 times.

 

WORST: TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

It's fitting that a franchise that flies a pirate flag at games would be on the lesser end of the player-arrest spectrum. The Bucs have struggled with off-field problems in the last decade, tallying 26 arrests.

 

BEST: CAROLINA PANTHERS

Carolina is one of three teams with only nine arrests in 10 years. Only five of the NFL's 32 teams have averaged fewer than one arrest per year.

 

BEST: DALLAS COWBOYS

The Cowboys can't seem to put it all together and make a run at the Super Bowl, but their off-field distractions aren't a major detractor. The franchise has just nine arrests to its name since 2005.

 

BEST: NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

Maybe it's the steady leadership of coach Bill Belichick, who has always had a no-nonsense approach to being a team leader. If so, his system is working: the Patriots have the third-best mark in the league with only nine arrests in the past decade.

 

BEST: HOUSTON TEXANS

On the downside, rookie head coach Bill O'Brien inherited a team that went 2-14 last season. On the bright side, the locker room hasn't been crawling with bad influences. Houston has had only eight arrests in the past 10 years, the second-best mark in the NFL.

 

BEST: ARIZONA CARDINALS

That's right: The least criminally offensive NFL team can be found in Arizona. The Cardinals franchise can claim just seven arrests in the past 10 years.

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