ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Jameis Winston is back in the spotlight – and not in a positive light – for what he described as a “poor word choice” in comments about women during a talk to Florida grade school students.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback, who was accused of raping another student while at Florida State University but never charged, spoke for nearly 40 minutes to third through fifth graders at Melrose Elementary in St. Petersburg during an appearance this week.

When some of the students started getting fidgety, Winston told boys in the audience to stand up and girls to sit down, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

“All my young boys, stand up. The ladies, sit down,” Winston told the children. “But all my boys, stand up. We strong, right? We strong! We strong, right? All my boys, tell me one time: I can do anything I put my mind to. Now a lot of boys aren’t supposed to be soft-spoken.”

The quarterback went on to say, “But the ladies, they’re supposed to be silent, polite, gentle. My men, my men (are) supposed to be strong.”

Asked later about the speech, Winston said he was attempting to interact with a young boy in the audience who didn’t appear to be paying attention. He said he didn’t want to single him out so he asked all the boys to stand.

“During my talk, I used a poor word choice that may have overshadowed that positive message for some,” said Winston, who has been active in numerous community and charitable endeavors since entering the NFL.

CHIEFS: Kansas City signed veteran running back C.J. Spiller, providing depth behind Spencer Ware in a move that could mean Jamaal Charles will be cut in a cost-saving move.

The Chiefs would owe Charles more than $6 million this season, a big price tag for a back who lost most of last year to knee surgery. They would not incur a salary cap hit by letting him go.

GIANTS: Long snapper Zak DeOssie, the team’s longest-tenured player, signed a new contract and will be back for an 11th season.

49ERS: San Francisco agreed to a four-year contract with free-agent defensive tackle Earl Mitchell, who was released by Miami just over a week ago.

NFL.com first reported the deal, saying Mitchell would get a $16 million deal with $5.5 million paid in the first year.