According to multiple reports, including Adam Schefter’s from ESPN, the NFL will suspend Jameis Winston for the incident that happend in March 2016 in Scottsdale, Arizona. Winston is supposed to have groped a female Uber driver in the crotch. The suspension is not official yet, but Jameis is expected to miss the first three games of the 2018 season, which would be a major blow to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their starting Quarterback. See article here
Winston denied that the incident ever happened on November 17th last year:
“A news organization has published a story about me regarding an alleged incident involving a female Uber driver from approximately two years ago. The story falsely accuses me of making inappropriate contact with this driver. I believe the driver was confused as to the number of passengers in the car and who was sitting next to her. The accusation is false, and given the nature of the allegation and increased awareness and consideration of these types of matters, I am addressing this false report immediately. At the time of the alleged incident, I denied the allegations to Uber, yet they still decided to suspend my account.” – via NFL.com, see article here
Ronald Darby, Cornerback of the Philadelphia Eagles and former teammate of Jameis Winston with Florida State, was in the car with Winston and also claimed the incident never happened and also claimed that, along with the driver, there was a third person present in the car. Darby refused to give the name of the third person. According to NFL reporter Mike Garofolo, however, Darby was not in the car at the time when the aforementioned incident happened. See article here
A few notes on Jameis Winston’s situation, following up on reports from ESPN Tallahassee and ESPN. One thing to highlight: Ronald Darby’s backing Winston ultimately didn’t hold water because he wasn’t in the car the whole time, the NFL’s investigation found. – via Mike Garofolo
Did Darby just cover for Winston and try to get him out of this unfortunate situation? Did Winston lie? None of us know what really happened and what did not happen in the Uber vehicle in Arizona in March 2016. As a matter of fact, the NFL is planning on suspending Winston without having clear proof of what happened. The fact that Winston is not everybody’s darling, due to questionable decisions and off the field issues in the past, does not necessarily help his cause.
Playing without Winston certainly will not make things easier for the Buccaneers. The first three games were tough enough, with or without Winston. Tampa Bay will be lucky now to win one game out of the first three contests.
A lot of fans are calling for Winston’s head now, many are convinced this is his end in Tampa. As of now, it is anybody’s guess if the Buccaneers’ front office does choose to get rid of the former 1st overall pick or if they decide to stick with the young Quarterback. One thing is certain, though. Jameis Winston, being the highly competitive player that he is, will come back with a vengeance once his suspension is over. If the Buccaneers decide to let him walk, the franchise will regret this mistake for many years to come. Hopefully, General Manager Jason Licht and Head Coach Dirk Koetter see the high potential he has shown so far in his young career. Jameis Winston will be a successful Quarterback in the NFL, be it with the Bucs or someone else.
