Once we reach the statement-releasing phase of any NFL controversy, the place beyond the sought-after penalty announcement where the findings are released and the true desires of parties are laid out in banal legalese, our eyes tend to gloss over.
Our takeaway from Thursday’s news was that Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston has been suspended for three games, and that Ryan Fitzpatrick will be Tampa Bay’s quarterback for almost a quarter of this season. Next in the stick-to-sports playbook is to pivot toward Winston’s future, and we’ll get to that, because that’s what we’re supposed to do.