Jameis Winston says he made 'poor word choice' in speech to students

Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston says he made 'poor word choice' in speech to elementary school students.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston says he made a "poor word choice" while addressing students at an elementary school. 

Winston spoke to a group of third to fifth-grade students at Melrose Elementary in St. Petersburg, Fla., on Wednesday and asked the male students in the group to stand while telling the female students to stay seated.

"All my young boys, stand up. The ladies, sit down," Winston said, according to the Tampa Bay Times. "But all my boys, stand up. We strong, right? We strong! We strong, right? All my boys, tell me one time: I can do anything I put my mind to. Now, a lot of boys aren't supposed to be soft-spoken. You know what I'm saying? One day y'all are going to have a very deep voice like this [in deep voice]. One day, you'll have a very, very deep voice.

"But the ladies, they're supposed to be silent, polite, gentle. My men, my men [are] supposed to be strong. I want y'all to tell me what the third rule of life is: I can do anything I put my mind to."

Winston said he was trying to get the attention of a student who appeared to be not paying attention.

"I was making an effort to interact with a young male in the audience who didn't seem to be paying attention, and I didn't want to single him out, so I asked all the boys to stand up," Winston said. "During my talk, I used a poor word choice that may have overshadowed that positive message for some."

- Scooby Axson