Michigan's Jim Harbaugh Gets to the Bottom of Jameis Winston Crab Leg Caper: Watch

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If his first season leading the University of Michigan Wolverines doesn’t work out, head coach Jim Harbaugh can add a couple of other skills to his CV: tough cop and image consultant.

As former Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston is getting ready for the April 30-May 2 NFL Draft, where he’s a projected top-two pick, his image needs some polishing – and that’s where Harbaugh comes in, the Chicago Sun Times reports. Winston, you may recall, was caught stealing crabs legs from a Tallahassee supermarket last year.

In a just released video of ESPN’s “Draft Academy,” shot in February, Harbaugh grilled Winston until he got to the bottom of what really happened:

An employee at the Publix supermarket was setting him up with free food, which – if Winston hadn’t ended the matter by pleading guilty to shoplifting – could have exposed Florida State to an investigation of free gifts and special privileges to student athletes.

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Winston had already admitted he took the crab legs without paying for them – a “terrible mistake” resulting from “youthful ignorance,” according to a statement last year.

Here’s how he explained it to Harbaugh:

“Well, a week before it was my buddy’s birthday and we had got a cake and we met a dude that worked inside Publix and he said, ‘Hey, anytime you come in here, I got you.’” Winston said. “So that day we just walked out and he hooked us up with that.

“And when I went in to get crab legs, did the same thing and he just gave them to me and I walked out. Someone from inside the store had told the security that I didn’t pay for them, and that’s how the whole thing started.”

Harbaugh advised Winston to keep the story simple.

“Keep it in a tidy box,” the coach advised. “Tidy box.”

Watch the video below.