Jameis Winston

Witness: Jameis Winston Was In Uber Vehicle Alone With Accuser

June 22nd, 2018 at 6:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

Another revelation came out of the Jameis Winston saga on Friday, and it could be viewed as damaging for the Buccaneers quarterback.

Mark Scruggs, attorney for a friend of Winston’s, Brandon Banks, said Winston did get into the car alone with the unnamed Uber driver that night in March 2016, when the accuser said Winston groped her. This came after the then-22-year-old quarterback was directed by friends to the Uber after being “unruly” at a Scottsdale, Ariz., nightclub. Scruggs said Banks saw an “intoxicated” Winston get into the car alone, which contradicts Ronald Darby‘s account that Winston was never alone with the driver, ESPN.com’s Paula Lavigne reports.

Banks, Winston and Darby were at the Scottsdale nightclub that night. This is the first time Banks, a former Vanderbilt football player, has been identified as being at the scene, Lavigne reports. Banks is currently serving a 15-year prison sentence after being found guilty of aggravated rape and aggravated sexual assault in June 2017 for an incident that occurred at Vanderbilt in 2013. Banks was awaiting trial in March of 2016.

Scruggs told ESPN that Winston, Darby and Banks were in a separate Uber that night, but that the driver who made the accusation against Winston was the one who picked him up from the nightclub. Banks did not confirm the driver’s account, though, since he was not in that particular Uber car. The driver said she and Winston were the only passengers.

“It appeared that Winston was trying to lay this on Brandon,” Scruggs said, via Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times, regarding his client’s reason for coming forward. “They were together that night. They took an Uber to a club, the three of them did, and Brandon said nothing whatsoever happened while the three of them were in the Uber. … For whatever reason, they felt they needed to put (Winston), escort him into an Uber so he could go home on his own. There’s two different Uber rides is what we’re talking about.”

Winston’s camp said the Uber driver was confused as to the number of people in the vehicle, and Darby said last year that he and Winston were in the backseat. The NFL is expected to suspend Winston for at least three games and did not view Darby’s account as entirely credible.

Some with the Buccaneers, and some close to Winston outside of the team, are “struggling to fathom” that he groped an Uber driver, Mike Jones of USA Today notes. But considering Winston’s past, most notably the 2012 rape accusation, the new information coming out about the March 2016 night makes it more likely Winston will serve at least a three-game suspension. And it could cloud his future with the Bucs.

Tampa Bay picked up the 24-year-old passer’s fifth-year option in May, but that $20.9MM 2019 salary is guaranteed for injury only. Now that he’s expected to miss the Bucs’ first three games, there will be immense pressure on the former No. 1 overall pick to shake the on-field inconsistency and while obviously avoid any additional off-field trouble.

Latest On Jameis Winston

June 22nd, 2018 at 4:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

Jameis Winston‘s suspension is not yet final, but the Buccaneers quarterback is expected to be banned for at least the first three games of this season. And the NFL looks to have determined the Ronald Darby explanation didn’t hold water, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com reports (video link).

Shortly after the unnamed accuser’s account of Winston groping her surfaced last November, Darby, who played with the former Heisman Trophy winner at Florida State, came forward with an explanation to help Winston. The veteran cornerback said he was in the car with Winston, with both Seminoles-turned-NFLers sitting in the backseat the entire time during the ride.

“There were three of us in the car, not just one as has been reported,” Darby said in November. “Myself and Jameis were in the backseat. I am confident that nothing inappropriate in nature happened in the car that evening and Jameis did not have any physical contact with the Uber driver. The accusations are just not true.”

However, the NFL did not ultimately accept Darby’s explanation. The investigation, Garafolo reports, determined Darby was not in the vehicle during the entire trip. It’s not certain when Winston and Darby’s paths crossed that night in Arizona, but Garafolo reports the NFL believes there were multiple legs to this trip and does not believe both Winston and Darby were together in the car the whole time.

The league also examined electronic communications from the parties involved in the alleged incident that night in March 2016, with Garafolo noting this likely played a key role in Winston’s expected suspension.

As of now, Winston would be in line to miss a difficult part of Tampa Bay’s schedule. The Saints, Eagles and Steelers are the first three teams on the Bucs’ docket. Garafolo confirmed a Thursday-night report that more games could be tacked onto this based on certain conditions. The Bucs will face the Bears, Falcons and Browns from Weeks 4-6.

More Details On Jameis Winston’s Impending Suspension

June 21st, 2018 at 8:00pm CST by Ben Levine

We learned earlier tonight that the NFL was planning on suspending Jameis Winston, and the Buccaneers quarterback wasn’t going to appeal. Why wouldn’t he exercise his appeal rights? Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com believes Winston and the NFL have already cut a deal.

There’s a benefit for both sides. The NFL could have threatened Winston with a six-game ban, and the quarterback managed to get that chopped in half. By avoiding an appeal, the NFL could also avoid a lengthy, “futile” appeal process. As Florio points out, this ordeal could also “expose yet another Park Avenue Keystone Cops investigation and/or kangaroo court process.”

After having learned from the Tom Brady and Ezekiel Elliott appeals, the writer ultimately surmises that the NFL didn’t want to deal with the impending “P.R. crisis” that would surely accompany the process.

There have been some more important notes regarding Winston’s suspension. We’ve compiled those below…

While it was originally reported that the quarterback would be suspended for three games, the NFL could end up increasing the punishment. Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets that Winston could be suspended for more games if he “fails to meet certain undisclosed requirements” that are expected to be handed out by the NFL.
NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport echoes Stroud’s sentiment, tweeting that the suspension “number has not yet been finalized.” The reporter adds that Winston nor the team have been notified of the suspension, and he notes that the quarterback “must meet a certain criteria related to his conduct to return to the field.”
The decision will be a “major” disappointment to the Buccaneers organization, writes ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The team was hoping for a bounce-back season following their 5-11 campaign, and they were also encouraged by the “type of behavior that Winston has demonstrated.” People around Tampa have also lauded the quarterback for his work with the surrounding communities.
Schefter tweets that Winston will lose $124K in base salary thanks to the three-game ban, which is based on his $705K salary for next season. However, the quarterback will be making $20.9MM in 2019, meaning he’d be sacrificing a lot more money if the process is dragged out. This would be another reason why Winston would want to completely avoid the appeals process.

NFL Planning To Suspend QB Jameis Winston

June 21st, 2018 at 5:04pm CST by Ben Levine

Jameis Winston will indeed be disciplined for allegedly groping an Uber driver back in 2016. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that the NFL is planning on suspending the Buccaneers quarterback for three games for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets that Winston won’t appeal the suspension.

We heard back in November that the NFL was investigating the former first-overall pick. A female Uber driver alleged that Winston inapporopriately touched her while the two were waiting in a fast food drive-thru. At the time, both Winston and his representative, Russ Spielman, denied the allegations.

We heard last night that the 24-year-old was bracing for some kind of discipline (via Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com). Those reports indicated that Winston might not necessarily be disciplined for the incident; rather, he’d face a punishment for failing to “make a timely report of the allegation.” However, Stroud tweets that the quarterback will indeed be suspended for “violating the NFL’s player conduct policy.”

A three-game ban would be a tough blow for a Buccaneers squad that’s looking to make the postseason for the first time since 2007. While Tampa Bay finished an underwhelming 5-11 last season, Winston still had a standout campaign. He completed a career-high 63.8-percent of his passes for 3,504 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions in 13 games. He missed three games due to a shoulder injury.

Fortunately for Tampa Bay, they do have a capable backup in Ryan Fitzpatrick. The 35-year-old appeared in six games (three starts) for the team last season, compiling 1,103 passing yards, seven touchdowns, and three interceptions. The team is also rostering former Saints backup Ryan Griffin.

Extra Points: Bucs, Butt, Browns, Dobbs

June 17th, 2018 at 9:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

The NFL is still investigating Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston for allegedly groping an Uber driver in 2016. It’s been seven months since an unnamed woman’s allegation surfaced, but NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said (via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times) the matter “remains under review.” Winston has long denied any wrongdoing, but even if no charges were brought, the fourth-year quarterback could face NFL discipline. The Bucs open the season with games against the Saints, Eagles and Steelers. They re-signed Ryan Fitzpatrick, who started three games last season, in preparation for this, Stroud notes, adding that they believe the 35-year-old veteran is the best option to navigate that stretch if Winston is suspended. Of course, if the Bucs go into training camp without knowing if Winston will be suspended, it could make allocating reps difficult.

As minicamp week concludes, here’s the latest news:

The Browns plan to slot Mychal Kendricks at weakside linebacker going into camp, per Zac Jackson of The Athletic (subscription required). Christian Kirksey played every snap at that spot last season and is signed long-term. Jackson doesn’t see him losing his job. The Browns believe Kendricks can play all three linebacker positions, but how Cleveland distributes playing time will be interesting since Jamie Collins — the league’s highest-paid off-ball linebacker — and 2017 Pro Bowler Joe Schobert are the other incumbents. It’s arguable Kendricks, long upset with his role in Philadelphia, had an easier path to playing time with the defending Super Bowl champions than he does with a team coming off an 0-16 season.
Excluding the 2 1/2 seasons Peyton Manning was healthy for the Broncos, the franchise has not been able to generate much from its tight end spot this decade. The Broncos, though, might have their best chance in a while to do so with one-time highly regarded prospect Jake Butt healthy. After essentially redshirting in 2017, which does not count as an accrued-service year for Butt since he spent it on Denver’s PUP list, the Michigan product could be in position to start. “He looks healthy, finally,” Vance Joseph said, via Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com. “ … Right now, he’s totally healthy.” The Broncos have struggled for three years to generate much in the passing game outside of their two starting wideouts, but with Butt in the mix, Case Keenum figures to have more options than his immediate predecessors. Denver used a 2017 third-round pick on Carlos Henderson only to see him miss all of his rookie year, and the Broncos now have second- and fourth-round picks Courtland Sutton and DaeSean Hamilton potentially ready to fill the auxiliary pass-catcher void.
File this away to the what-if department: had the Buccaneers not selected O.J. Howard at No. 19 overall last year, they were “poised” to take Dalvin Cook, Stroud notes. This would have been a wildly different path for Cook, who sat on the board until the Vikings selected him at No. 41 overall. Tampa Bay instead waited a year to make a big draft investment at this position, taking Ronald Jones at No. 38 this year.
The Steelers‘ Mason Rudolph selection will likely leave Joshua Dobbs as the odd man out in Pittsburgh, barring injury. Pittsburgh is expected to go into the season with Ben Roethlisberger, Rudolph and Landry Jones as its three quarterbacks, Joe Rutter of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes, leaving 2017 draftee Dobbs as either trade bait or waiver wire fodder. Jones is due $2.2MM this season but would profile as the veteran backup to complement the developing Rudolph.

Bucs Exercise Jameis Winston’s Option

April 17th, 2018 at 10:14am CST by Zachary Links

The Buccaneers have exercised the fifth-year option on Jameis Winston‘s original rookie contract. The decision was not due until May 3, but the Bucs did not need to take this decision to the wire.

Winston was less than perfect in 2017, but this was still a fairly easy call for the Bucs to make. Even though Winston went 3-10 as a starter last year, he performed as a better-than-average starting QB and continues to show potential. Across three years in the league, Winston has thrown for 11,636 passing yards, 69 touchdown passes, and 44 interceptions. The Florida State product, who recently turned 24, is the second-youngest passer in NFL history to top 10,000 passing yards. Before his birthday, his 69 touchdown passes set the new watermark for any NFL QB at the age of 23.

Per the terms of the CBA, the fifth-year option is equal to the average of the top 10 salaries in the previous year. The Bucs and Winston will also have the opportunity to hammer out a new long-term extension before the option year kicks in.

The fifth-year option also comes with an escape hatch for NFL teams. The additional year is guaranteed for injury only, so the Bucs can back out if Winston’s performance declines for non-health reasons.

QB Notes: Brees, McCarron, Winston

February 17th, 2018 at 9:44am CST by Ben Levine

Last offseason, the Bengals offered quarterback AJ McCarron to the Jets. The team ultimately declined the trade, but ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini believes the organization could have more interest in the free agent this offseason.

The writer believes McCarron is the team’s backup plan to Kirk Cousins, and he anticipates that the 2014 fifth-rounder will receive a deal that exceeds Mike Glennon‘s three-year, $45MM contract ($18.5MM guaranteed) from last year. Ultimately, considering the Jets would have to invest in a quarterback with only three career starts, Cimini believes the team would be better off rolling with Josh McCown for another season.

Let’s take a look at some more quarterback notes from around the NFL…

March 14th is essentially the deadline for the Saints and quarterback Drew Brees to come to an agreement on a new contract, writes ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano. The final three seasons of the veteran’s contract will void on that day, and if they wish to keep Brees for another season, they’d be required to tolerate his salary and his “$18 million worth of signing bonus prorated on this year’s salary cap.”
Meanwhile, Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com says if Brees ends up reaching free agency, the Browns could be a serious suitor. The team is rostering a talented wideout in Josh Gordon and a veteran tackle in Joe Thomas, and they’re armed with $110MM in cap space and several alluring draft picks. While Brees may not want to consider an organization that just completed a winless season, the writer believes a one-year, $50MM might not be out of the question.
Until he inks a new deal, Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com will continue to regard Brees as the top free agent quarterback. The writer rounds out his list of the top signal-callers with Cousins, Case Keenum, McCarron, and Sam Bradford.
Jameis Winston will surely receive a hefty payday from the Buccaneers, but Rick Stroud of TampaBay.com wonders if the new deal “will cost the Bucs more than money.” Considering the type of deal Winston will sign, the writer wonders if the contract could limit the organization’s ability to extend several of their young core players. As a result, Stroud believes the team should make it a priority to sign receiver Mike Evans, center Ali Marpet, tackle Donovan Smith and linebacker Kwon Alexander to new deals as soon as possible.

Job Security A Distraction For Bucs’ Koetter

December 26th, 2017 at 9:12pm CST by Micah Powell

After leading Tampa Bay to a 9-7 record in his first season as head coach, Dirk Koetter and the Buccaneers entered the 2017 season as breakout favorites in the NFC. Things have not gone according to plan, however, with the Buccaneers sitting at 4-11 entering the final week of the season. The dismal display has prompted talks about the coach’s future with the team, which have been a distraction in recent weeks, Koetter admitted to reporters including ESPN’s Jenna Laine on Tuesday.

“It’s your life, it’s your life. It’s what you do. So just flip it around. Of course it is,” Koetter said. “But we all as players and coaches, we’re paid to do a job, and you try to do it to the best of our ability. That’s all you can do.”

His job security is not the only thing serving as a distraction in Tampa Bay at the moment. Koetter acknowledged that a screaming fit happened during the team’s Week 16 loss vs. the Panthers, with quarterback Jameis Winston and linebacker Kwon Alexander confronting defensive lineman Chris Baker about his late penalty that set up Carolina for the game-winning score and his lack of remorse for committing the infraction.

Koetter played off the incident by saying, “Emotions [were] running, and that game — we had a lot of nice opportunities to win, [but] we didn’t do it. No one’s happy about that. A shouting match … I don’t think that would be the first or last time that’s ever happened.”

Though his influence in the locker room appears to be dissipating, Koetter said he has no fears of having lost the team. With the disappointing season almost in the books, the Buccaneers appear like they could be looking for a new coach in the near future.

Jameis Winston Addresses Rift With Koetter

December 16th, 2017 at 7:09pm CST by Micah Powell

On Sunday, reports surfaced from NFL.com’s Ian Rappoport that the relationship between Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston and head coach Dirk Koetter was “not in a good place.” Winston addressed the reports before the team’s Week 15 showdown with Atlanta, saying, “there’s nothing to see here,” according to NFL.com’s Jeremy Bergman.

Winston told reporters, including the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud (Twitter link), “When you lose, people are always trying to find something to nitpick and nag at, and definitely attacking the relationship of a head coach and a quarterback is a way to get this locker room in a panic. We don’t condone that at all.”

Rappoport attributed the fractured relationship to Winston not feeling supported properly when he was playing through an injury early in the season. Buccaneers offensive coordinator Todd Monken added his own thoughts to the source of the issue:

“You know what the strain is? The frustration of being 4-9. That’s a frustration. When you put everything into it, what you’ve got is a quarterback that’s very competitive, a guy that wants to be great and has had a frustrating year, probably some things on and off the field, and a head coach that does an unbelievable job coaching our players and quarterback. And that becomes news? Holy cow! News flash! We’ve got a strain in our relationship. There’s not one person that can’t say that’s ever happened before. That is a flat-out joke that that even becomes news.”

The Buccaneers entered the 2017 season with high hopes thanks to a young offense that appeared on the verge of breaking out. That hasn’t happened and it is easy to see why the team’s star quarterback would be frustrated. Whether the stain is the record or the lack of support, it’s a story that might not go away too soon.

NFC Notes: Rodgers, Bucs, Eli

December 10th, 2017 at 10:53am CST by Rory Parks

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers will undergo a CT scan this week to determine if he will be medically cleared to return to game action, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (video link). Rodgers has been practicing since December 2, and Rapoport says the star quarterback has looked incredible on the field. However, Rodgers’ return will depend on how his surgically-repaired collarbone is healing. Green Bay has been hoping for No. 12 to suit up for next week’s game against Carolina, and there is a very good chance that will happen.

Now for more from the NFC:

Per Rapoport, the relationship between Buccaneers head coach Dirk Koetter and quarterback Jameis Winston is not in a good place, and part of that tension stems from Koetter’s predictable play-calling. Indeed, as ESPN’s Jenna Laine tweets, defensive assistants from opposing clubs have said that Tampa Bay’s offense is as predictable as it gets. Koetter, though, could be fired at the end of the season, so the team may not have to deal with that strained relationship much longer.
The Giants intend to start Eli Manning not just this week, but going forward as well, per Rapoport (video link). The team’s prior plan to get rookie Davis Webb an extended look is on hold indefinitely, though New York still wants to give him a shot a some point. We also learned earlier today that Dave Gettleman has emerged as the frontrunner for the team’s GM job.
The Vikings were among the most vocal of the teams speaking out this week against the perceived inconsistencies in punishments doled out by the league, as Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes. Minnesota safety Andrew Sendejo was suspended for a game earlier this year due to a hit he delivered on Ravens’ wideout Mike Wallace — and that suspension was upheld on appeal — but when Bengals safety George Iloka had his suspension for a similar hit reduced on appeal this week, Vikings officials were quickly on the phone with the league office.
Lions head coach Jim Caldwell‘s contract expires at the end of 2018, so his contract status will not impact his future with the team.

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