Florida State, local cops completely bungled the Jameis Winston rape investigation

Nearly a year after Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston was accused of sexual assault, a state attorney announced in December he would face no charges. Yet from the beginning, there were questions about whether police, either out of deference to the football team or through astounding incompetence, dropped the ball on the investigation.

A stunning deep dive by Walt Bogdanich in Wednesday's New York Times concludes the investigation wasn't just botched, but rather that "there was virtually no investigation at all, either by the police or the university."

A sampling of some of the most incredible investigative failures:

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The university, too, apparently failed to follow proper investigative procedures after the athletic department learned of the incident. And it failed to follow up on a witness' admission he'd filmed the sexual encounter. (Winston admits to the encounter, but claims it was consensual.)

Again, Winston has never been charged and must be presumed innocent. But the baffling failures by the police and university look terrible in light of quotes like this one, from Chief Assistant State Attorney Georgia Cappleman: "I believe that Mr. Winston cannot be convicted. I don't necessarily believe that he's innocent."

Read the entire story here.