Why the NFL suspended Jameis Winston for 3 games

The Buccaneers quarterback was accused of groping an Uber driver in March 2016.

The NFL has completed its investigation into allegations that Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston groped an Uber driver. Winston has been issued a three-game suspension by the NFL, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Winston was never arrested or charged with a crime for this alleged incident. But the NFL’s personal conduct policy is broad and does not carry the same burden of proof as the criminal justice system.

According to Jeff Cameron of ESPN Radio, the suspension doesn’t necessarily mean that the NFL found Winston guilty of the allegations, or that it comes as a surprise.

“What he’ll be suspended over is a failure to report,” Cameron said earlier in June, via JoeBucsFan. “This is what I do know: the Winston camp is prepared for the NFL to levy a suspension of some kind.”

Players are obligated to report any incident that would be a violation of the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy, which reads:

Clubs and players are obligated to promptly report any matter that comes to their attention (through, for example, victim or witness reports, law enforcement, or media reports) that may constitute a violation of this Policy.

This obligation to report is broader than simply reporting an arrest; it requires reporting to the league any incident that comes to the club’s or player’s attention which, if the allegations were true, would constitute a violation of the Personal Conduct Policy.

A female student at Florida State also accused Winston of sexual assault while he was in college. He was never charged or convicted and later settled a civil suit for an undisclosed amount with his accuser. Jimbo Fisher also sat Winston for part of a game during his college career for standing on a table at FSU and yelling, “F—- her right in the p—-y.”

What happened? The driver responded to a call for a ride in Scottsdale, Ariz. in March 2016. According to the driver’s account, Winston rode in the front seat. The driver said that Winston grabbed her crotch as they waited in line in the drive-thru at a restaurant.

She reported the alleged incident to Uber shortly after it happened. Uber suspended Winston’s account with the app. Arizona police told ESPN’s Jenna Laine that the incident was not reported to them at the time.

The NFL sent the driver a letter in November 2017 confirming it would investigate the allegations.

“The League has been informed that you may have been the victim of such a violation perpetrated by Tampa Bay Buccaneers player Jameis Winston. The league takes allegations of this nature very seriously and has opened an investigation into this matter,” said the letter, which was obtained by BuzzFeed.

The NFL kicked off its investigation with a conversation with the Buccaneers’ head of security, Andres Trescastro, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The Uber driver has retained attorney John Clune, who represented the woman who claimed Winston sexually assaulted her while he was a student-athlete at Florida State University.

What did Winston say about it? Winston issued a statement after news of the NFL’s investigation broke.

“I believe the driver was confused as to the number of passengers in the car and who was sitting next to her,” the statement read. “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.”

Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Ronald Darby backed up Winston’s story. Darby, Winston’s college teammate at Florida State, said that he was in the car with Winston at the time of the alleged incident. He said that Winston did not grope the driver.

"There were three of us in the car, not just one as has been reported," Darby said. "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.”

What happens now? Winston and the NFLPA will surely appeal the suspension to the NFL. Roger Goodell will have the choice of either hearing the appeal himself or passing it off to an arbitrator. If this discipline is upheld, Winston could either choose to serve the suspension or pursue a different outcome by filing a lawsuit against the NFL.

If the suspension is upheld and Winston misses time, the Buccaneers will turn to Ryan Fitzpatrick to start at quarterback. Fitzpatrick will turn 36 during the 2018 season, but has plenty of starting experience and stepped in for Tampa Bay for three starts in 2017 when Winston suffered a shoulder injury. He was re-signed to another one-year deal after the season.