In a poke at rape allegations against him, Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston was taunted with a "no means no" chant from several Oregon football players after they beat the Seminoles in the Rose Bowl on Thursday.
Oregon players, including running back Kani Benoit and linebacker Torrodney Prevo, chanted "no means no" while doing the Florida State's Tomahawk chop war chant in a video posted by
TMZ.
Winston was cleared last month of violating Florida State's student code of conduct after a hearing in which he was accused of raping a female student in 2012,
according to The New York Times. State prosecutors declined to bring criminal charges against the quarterback last year, just before he was awarded the Heisman Trophy as college football's best player.
The ruling cleared Winston to play in the New Year's bowl game and national semifinals, which Florida State lost for the first time in two years.
The alleged victim's attorney, John Clune, said his client is thinking about appealing the ruling, reported the Times.
The taunts drew a sharp rebuke from victorious Oregon coach Mark Helfrich, who said players participating in the incident will be punished,
according to ESPN.
"We are aware of the inappropriate behavior in the postgame," Helfrich said in a statement released by Oregon on Thursday nigh. "This is not what our program stands for, and the student-athletes will be disciplined internally."
The chant brought a variety of reactions, one from ESPN's Jemele Hill.
Christine Brennan of USA Today appeared to side with the Oregon players while pointing out Winston's past indiscretions other than the rape incident, including an alleged theft and incident inside the Florida State student union.
"The Oregon players will be criticized in the national media, and perhaps we'll hear from them in the coming days, but in the meantime, we should be pleased that they actually know the meaning and impact of the "No means no," phrase, and in their own way, shined a light on a famous man accused of rape," Brennan wrote.