The NFL has suspended Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston for the first three games of the 2018 season after it was revealed that he was accused of groping a female Uber driver in 2016.
According to NFL.com, the suspension is for violating the league’s personal conduct policy, although it remains unclear if Winston is being punished for sexual assault or for his failure to report the incident, which is a requirement for all league employees.
Winston will not appeal the suspension.
In a statement, Winston acknowledged wrongdoing, but emphasized that the experience has encouraged him to quit drinking.
The NFL has suspended Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston for the first three games of 2018 after it was revealed that he was accused of groping a female Uber driver in 2016
A former Heisman winner at Florida State, Winston is in the fourth year of a four-year, $25 million contract. That’s a significant blow for the Bucs, who face three teams over the first three weeks that reached the playoffs last year: the New Orleans Saints, defending-Super Bowl champion Eagles, and the Pittsburgh Steelers
‘The NFL informed me today that I will be suspended for the first three games of the season,’ Winston’s statement read. ‘First and foremost, I would like to say I’m sorry to the Uber driver for the position I put you in. It is uncharacteristic of me and I genuinely apologize. In the past 2 1/2 years my life has been filled with experiences, opportunities and events that have helped me grow, mature and learn, including the fact that I have eliminated alcohol from my life.
‘I know I have to hold myself to a higher standard on and off the field and that I have a responsibility to my family, community, and teammates to live above the platform with which God has blessed me,’ he continued. ‘I apologize to my teammates, the Buccaneers organization and fans for letting them down and for not being able to be out there for the first three games of the season.
Winson has not been found guilty of a crime, but that isn’t necessarily a determining factor in the NFL.
The accuser, known only as Kate, told BuzzFeed News that she was driving Winston back from a party in Scottsdale, Arizona, at 2am on March 13, 2016, when he ‘reached over’ and grabbed her.
In the immediate aftermath of Kate’s alleged interaction with Winston, she filed a report with Uber claiming that the NFL player ‘put his fingers’ on her crotch and declared that he was ‘NOT safe for other drivers.’
‘We stopped to get food at a Mexican drive thru,’ she wrote. ‘While we were stopped, out of the clear blue, this rider reached over and put his fingers on my crotch. It wasn’t accidental, and it was only for a very brief moment.
‘It wasn’t my stomach or my thigh, it was my crotch and I want to be clear about that,’ she continued. ‘I was totally shocked, and I shook him off and just said, what’s up with that?
‘Looking back I sincerely wish I would have kicked him out but he is apparently a big athlete in the nfl and he’s very physically imposing, and I was afraid that I’d make him more angry. The rest of the ride proceeded without incident. He is NOT safe for other female drivers.’
At the time, Winston denied the allegations and Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Ronald Darby later claimed to be in the backseat of the car with Winston, adding that nothing occurred.
However, former Vanderbilt player Brandon Banks has since come forward to say that he was with Darby and Winston during an Uber ride earlier that night – a different trip than the one referenced in the allegations against Winston.
According to ESPN, Banks said Winston was the only passenger when he allegedly groped the Uber driver.
Banks is now serving 15 years in prison after being convicted in 2017 of aggravated rape and aggravated sexual battery.