Jameis Winston's lawyer calls sexual assault lawsuit on the eve of the NFL Draft a 'stunt' and a 'ploy'

Jameis Winston, the consensus No. 1 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, was sued Thursday by the woman who accused him of rape in 2012.

In the lawsuit, former Florida State student Erica Kinsman accuses Winston of sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment, and intentionally inflicting "emotional distress," the Tampa Times reports.

In response to the lawsuit, Winston's attorney David Cornwell released a statement calling it a "stunt."

The statement he sent to Business Insider:

This stunt was expected. Ms. Kinsman's false accusations have already been exposed and rejected six times. This time will be no different. Mr. Winston welcomes the opportunity to clear his name with the truth.

Mr. Winston is looking forward to the upcoming draft. He will not permit this ploy to distract him as he begins the journey of fulfilling his lifelong dream of being a championship quarterback in the National Football League.

While at Florida State Winston was investigated in connection to the incident but never charged. The school cleared him of conduct violations in 2014.

The lawsuit comes two weeks before the NFL Draft in Chicago, where Winston is widely expected to be taken No. 1 overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. According to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Times, the lawsuit is "not a factor" in Tampa's decision. NFL Draft writer Mike Miller of Bleacher Report said that the lawsuit has long been rumored and isn't news to NFL teams.

Kinsman's attorney told Matt Baker of the Tampa Times in a statement, "With the support of her family, [Kinsman] is prepared for this fight and for the counterclaims and the smear campaigns that will surely follow."