Winston has ‘no fear’ of suspension
TAMPA — Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston said Thursday he has “no fear” of a suspensi0n resulting from an NFL investigation into an allegation that he groped a female Uber driver in Arizona in March 2016.
“I have no fear at all,” Winston said, addressing the allegations publicly for the first time Thursday. “But like I said, I have to respect our process.”
News of the NFL investigation surfaced two weeks ago. Winston used his Uber app to summon a vehicle to Scottsdale, Ariz., around 2 a.m. on March 13, 2013.
According to Buzzfeed News, a small group of men allegedly told her she would be chauffeuring someone famous that night — Winston, 2013 Heisman Trophy winner and now quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“I started driving, and right away, Jameis behaved poorly” by shouting, in part, homophobic slurs at pedestrians, said the driver, who wished to remain anonymous.
Waiting in line at the drive-through of Los Betos Mexican Food, “he reached over and he just grabbed my crotch,” the driver said, alleging that Winston held his hand there for three to five seconds and removed it only after she looked up in shock and said, “What’s up with that?”
Winston denied the allegations in a statement he released on Twitter.
“The story falsely accuses me of making inappropriate contact with this driver,” Winston said. “I believe the driver was confused as to the number of passengers in the car and who was sitting next to her.”
Eagles cornerback Ronald Darby, a teammate of Winston’s at Florida State, issued a statement Nov. 19 saying he was in the back seat with Winston during the Uber ride and that “nothing inappropriate” happened.
Darby was also a witness for Winston when he was accused of sexually assaulting Erica Kinsman while both were students at Florida State. Winston was never charged but reached a settlement with the Zephyrhills woman.
Winston was asked why he believed he has twice been accused of inappropriate behavior in the past five years.
“Again, I put my statement out there discussing this allegation and I’ve got to respect the process on that part,” Winston said. “I’ve been vindicated several times on the past situation, so, you know, my statements on those accusations stand firm, too.
“As always, it’s always a growing process in everything, and I’m going to continue to grow.”
Winston was asked if he believed he would be vindicated in the allegation involving the Uber driver.
“Absolutely,” Winston said.
Lisa Friel, the NFL special counsel for investigations, sent a letter to the Uber driver confirming the NFL had opened an investigation into incident two weeks ago.
The NFL has spoken with Andres Trescastro, the Bucs head of security. Trescastro was in the meeting with Winston and general manager Jason Licht when they first discussed the allegations. Though the NFL Players Association, the league also has asked Winston retain all relevant phone, text and voicemail records.