In the early days, I was never a Jameis Winston fan. He found himself in a good bit of trouble when he played college football at Florida State University, and for years, he was just the guy who stole crab legs from Publix — a meme for football fans of other teams.
But as he got older, the quarterback seemed to turn his life around. He's credited his wife with being a good influence on him, and he rededicated his life to his Christian faith. He may not be the best player in the NFL, but he's made a name for himself as being an uplifting and inspirational teammate and a fun and charming personality off the field. He's one of my favorite people in the NFL now.
What he did at a World Cup match over the week is just another reason why I — and many others — have grown to love Winston, who is currently with the New York Giants. Here's what happened:
On Sunday, Japan played the Netherlands in a World Cup match at Dallas Stadium. It ended in a 2-2 draw. After the match, videos of Japanese fans, with garbage bags that read "Japan Pride," cleaning up the trash left behind in the stands went viral on social media.
Now, I know it's June, but they didn't mean that kind of "Pride." This more of a respectful move, something I can get behind. As one woman who was cleaning up explained, "That's the culture, but it's like respect for everything —respect for the players, supporters, and also for the stadium. We are honored to be here, so we don't want to make a mess and then leave it."
As you can see, even the children got involved:
The reason Japan fans clean the stadium after each game. Respect. 🤝🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/o9qJUOLefY
— FIFA (@FIFAcom) June 15, 2026
I asked Japan fans what the deal is with these trash bags they’re waving.
— GFed🇺🇸 (@GfedGoCrazy) June 14, 2026
They’re actually functional trash bags. Everyone brings them to cheer during and clean up after themselves after.
Very on brand with Japan culture. easiest stadium cleanup Dallas has ever seen incoming pic.twitter.com/wCdG4SAtC0
But there in the stands, amidst all the Japanese fans, was a familiar face: Jameis Winston. He'd grabbed a couple of bags himself and was picking up trash too, even helping a Japanese fan who was in a wheelchair.
Jameis Winston helps Japan fan clean up after World Cup match pic.twitter.com/1JWITLrnEy
— New York Post (@nypost) June 15, 2026
For what it's worth, Winston has been covering the matches as a FOX Sports correspondent for the World Cup. Earlier in the day, he was hanging out with the Dutch fans and having a great time.
THE ORANJE ARMY 🇳🇱 @FOXSports pic.twitter.com/eWk15v6O2l
— Jameis Winston (@Jaboowins) June 14, 2026
Knowing that, it'd be easy to say he did this just for the cameras, but some of his fellow NFL players are coming to his defense. Like Alvin Kamara, who says this is just the type of guy Winston is. I believe it. I've seen so much good stuff from him lately that I genuinely believe it.
lol shit is funny because everybody thinks Jameis doin this for show but he really just a genuinely good dude in real life… cameras or not. https://t.co/1oHYCjogIt
— Alvin Kamara (@A_kamara6) June 15, 2026
I also love that this is how the Japanese team left their locker room. After seeing how some Knicks fans behaved in New York over the weekend when their team won the NBA Finals, this was so nice to see.
🚨 Japan left their dressing room spotless after their match against the Netherlands. 👏
— World Cup 2026 (@WorldCupMedia_) June 15, 2026
A tradition built on respect, discipline, and responsibility. ❤️🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/F59344SFcX
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