KAYE: Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston will play in the national championship semifinal game after clearing a major off-the- field hurdle. Brian McFayden has the story for us -- Brian.</s>BRIAN MCFAYDEN, BLEACHER REPORT: Yes, good morning, Randi. Yes, former Heisman Trophy winner Winston has been cleared of any wrongdoing at a student code of conduct hearing from an alleged 2012 sexual assault. Florida State held a two day hearing earlier this month to determine if Jameis Winston violated any sections of the code of conduct. That included sexual misconduct and endangerment. Jameis Winston was never arrested from the 2012 incident but still faced a school hearing because of Florida State obligations under Title IX. Independent hearing officer and former Florida state supreme court justice Major Harding wrote this to Winston. Quote, "This was a complex case and I worked hard to make sure both parties had a full and fair opportunity to present information. In sum, the preponderance of evidence has not shown that you are responsible for any of charged violations of the code. Namely, I find that the evidence before me is insufficient to satisfy the burden of proof." Winston's accuser's attorney John Clune wasn't happy with the ruling by Harding, saying quote, "We are stunned and dismayed by the order. There are certainly glaring bases for appeal, but at some point we have to recognize that Florida State is never going to hold Jameis Winston responsible. We will consider an appeal but right now we feel a little duped." Winston's accusers has five class days to file an appeal. Florida State will participate in the first ever college football playoffs at the Rose Bowl against the No. 2 ranked Oregon Ducks. Randi?</s>KAYE: Well, I guess a lot of people are going to be happy to see him playing for sure. Brian, thank you.</s>KAYE: Yes, absolutely. Thanks very much. Still to come, Taylor Swift makes music history and says good-bye to Spotify. We look back at the top entertainment stories of the year.
FSU's Jameis Winston Cleared of Wrongdoing