This incident happened over two years ago when an UBER driver said that Jameis grabbed her private parts while on a ride in March of 2016.
No charges were ever filed against Jameis, but as we know that doesn’t mean the NFL can’t punish him (more on that later). The woman is suing him and here is an interesting note about that.
Winston denied the allegations and said he believes the woman was mistaken regarding the number of passengers in the car and his location within the vehicle. Former Florida State teammate and Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Ronald Darby said he was also a passenger in the vehicle and corroborated Winston’s account, which was that he and Winston were in the vehicle’s back seat and that a third person was in the passenger seat. Darby did not identify the name of the third passenger publicly.
The Uber driver’s attorney, John Clune, disputed Darby’s account, saying that Winston was the only passenger in the vehicle.
Clune also represented Erica Kinsman, a student who accused Winston of sexual assault at Florida State in 2012. The accusations were investigated by Tallahassee police but charges were never filed. Winston was not suspended from the school or disciplined by the football team for the incident.
This is another he said/she said situation, but because NFL players have the worst CBA in sports Jameis can do little in regard to an appeal.
Tom Brady and Ezekiel Elliott had little to no evidence against them and both were suspended after numerous appeals. The NFL doesn’t have much on him.
The league began its investigation in November 2017 when a woman, who identified herself as “Kate,” told BuzzFeed that Winston reached over and grabbed her crotch while waiting at a drive-thru at Los Betos Mexican Food at 2 a.m.
Restaurant management told ESPN that they did not have security footage of the drive-thru. No police charges were filed, but the driver did file a formal complaint with Uber. She told BuzzFeed that she wanted to tell the truth “about a powerful man who felt entitled to my body when all I wanted to do was my job.” Uber confirmed to ESPN that Winston’s riding privileges were revoked, but Winston did not notify the league of the complaint.
Last month, multiple sources said they did not expect Winston to be disciplined over the Arizona incident. But the case unnerved the NFL and Friel enough that the league is now preparing to hand down a three-game suspension that still could be altered based on any last-minute findings. The decision will come as a major disappointment to a Buccaneers team looking to rebound this season, especially considering the type of behavior that Winston has demonstrated.
Look for Jameis to accept his punishment regardless if he is innocent or not.