Bucs' Jameis Winston Still Sidelined
- Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston‘s shoulder was re-evaluated today and he is not ready to return, head coach Dirk Koetter tells reporters (Twitter link via Jenna Laine of ESPN.com). Winston will be out this week against the Falcons, but doctors will check him out next week.
Ronald Darby Issues Statement On Jameis Winston
The Uber driver who has accused Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston of groping her in March 2016 has said that she and Winston were alone in her vehicle at the time of the alleged incident, whereas Winston’s representatives say there were several people in the car, and that Winston was in the backseat. Now, Eagles cornerback (and Winston’s former collegiate teammate) Ronald Darby has spoken out on Winston’s behalf, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports.
Darby, whom the Eagles acquired in a trade with Buffalo this offseason — but who has only suited up for one game this season due to an ankle injury — issued a statement this morning indicating that he was one of the other passengers in the vehicle. He said:
“I felt the need to come forward and clarify some inaccurate accounts of the evening of March 13, 2016 when myself, a friend and Jameis Winston took an Uber ride in Arizona. There were three of us in the car, not just one as has been reported. 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.”
Darby and Winston were teammates at Florida State in 2013 and 2014, and both were selected in the 2015 draft (Winston, of course, was the first overall pick in that draft, while Darby was taken with the 50th overall selection). And, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk observes, this marks the second time that Darby has witnessed an incident that resulted in Winston’s being accused of sexual misconduct. Darby was in Winston’s apartment the night Winston was accused of sexually assaulting a fellow FSU student in 2012.
Schefter also reports that the NFL has still not informed the NFL Players Association that there is now an investigation of one of its players, which the league is required to do. While everyone knows that the investigation has been launched, and the league’s informing the NFLPA of the same is largely just a formality, the fact that it has not been done is an inauspicious start to what many expect will be another messy, drawn-out process.
Notes on Winston Investigation
We now know that the NFL is investigating an incident regarding Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston and an uber driver from last year. The female uber driver claimed that the former number one overall pick groped her during a ride, but Winston has denied those allegations. but adding onto this story, Steve Wyche of NFL.com reports in a Twitter video, that the 23 year-old signal caller will not go on the exempt list because no charges have filed as of yet.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/17/17
Here are today’s minor transactions:
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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Waived: WR Bernard Reedy
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Signed from practice squad: WR Freddie Martino
Today’s practice squad updates:
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: TE Braedon Bowman
- Waived: OT Jake Rogers
Latest On Jameis Winston Allegation
The woman who accused Jameis Winston of groping her in an Uber vehicle in 2016, via Buzzfeed report earlier today, said only she and Winston were in the car at the time. But Winston’s representatives assert there were several people in the car, with the Buccaneers quarterback sitting in the backseat, NFL.com reports. Winston’s statement pointed to there being multiple passengers in the vehicle as well. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links) listened to the voicemail an Uber representative sent Winston, with the phrase “you or someone else in your vehicle engaged in inappropriate behavior” used. This led to Winston being banned from Uber but also has the third-year passer’s representatives saying there were more people in the car than the accuser’s account suggests.
NFL Investigating Bucs QB Jameis Winston
An Uber driver alleges that she was groped by Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston in March of last year, Talal Ansari of BuzzFeed News has learned. In a letter to the alleged victim, lead NFL investigator Lisa Friel indicated that an investigation is underway. 
“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 letter reads. “The league takes allegations of this nature very seriously and has opened an investigation into this matter.”
The female driver, identified only as Kate, says that she picked up Winston early on a Sunday morning. His friends placed him in the front seat, even though he was the only passenger. Kate agreed to take Winston to get fast food and the quarterback, she says, placed his hand on her crotch while they were waiting at the drive-thru.
Meanwhile, a Winston’s representative, Russ Spielman, issued a statement denying the allegations:
“We categorically deny this allegation. It is our understanding the Uber driver was unable to identify the specific individual who allegedly touched this driver inappropriately. The only reason his name is being dragged in to this is that his Uber account was used to call the ride.”
An Uber spokesperson issued a statement as well, indicating Winston is “permanently banned” from using the app.
“The behavior the driver reported is disturbing and wrong,” the statement read (via Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times, on Twitter). “The rider was permanently removed from the app shortly after we learned of the incident.”
Winston has since released a statement on the matter. The third-year Bucs quarterback does not deny he was in the car at that point but said he was not the person in the front seat at the time this alleged incident occurred.
“(Buzzfeed’s 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,” Winston said (via Twitter). “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.
“I am supportive of the national movement to raise awareness and develop better responses to the concerns of parties who find themselves in these types of situations, but this accusation is false. While I am certain I did not make any inappropriate contact, I don’t want to engage in a battle with the driver and I regret if my demeanor or presence made her uncomfortable in any way.”
Buccaneers coach Dirk Koetter told reporters that the team will soon release a statement on the matter. The franchise has since done so.
“We are in the process of obtaining further information regarding today’s media report,” the team said in a statement. “We take these matters seriously and are fully supportive of the investigation that is being conducted by the NFL.”
Winston has encountered trouble on this front before. While at Florida State, the quarterback was accused of rape in 2012. However, Tallahassee, Fla., police did not charge him with a crime in connection with that alleged incident. In 2016, Winston settled a civil suit with his accuser.
No police report was filed by this latest accuser with the Phoenix or Scottsdale, Ariz., Police Departments, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports.
Bucs Sign Senquez Golson To P-Squad
The Buccaneers announced that they signed former Steelers second-round draft pick Senquez Golson to the practice squad. 
Despite entering the league in 2015, Golson has yet to see live action in the NFL. As a rookie, he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. The following year, a Lisfrancc injury knocked him out of action. This past summer, he suffered a hamstring injury, leading the Steelers to release him before the 53-man deadline in early September. Golson has had some bad luck, but the good news is that he has not been held back by one particularly injury. If he can stay healthy, he could prove to be a valuable addition to the Bucs’ main roster at some point this year.
Martino, 26, has been cycled through the Buccaneers’ roster for the past two years. After spending most of his first two seasons with the Falcons and Eagles practice squads, Martino found his way to the Buccaneers in May of 2016. Buccaneers head coach Dirk Koetter was Martino’s offensive coordinator in Atlanta, so the connection helped him find work. Last year, he appeared in 13 games for the Bucs and had eight catches for 142 yards and one touchdown.
Buccaneers Work Out Senquez Golson
Tampa Bay worked out 2015 second-round cornerback Senquez Golson and 2016 seventh-round defensive end Alex McCalister, according to Sirius XM Radio’s Adam Caplan (Twitter link). 
Golson, who has yet to step on the field in his first three seasons, was released from the Steelers before the start of the 2017 season. He suffered a hamstring injury on the first day of practice in pads at training camp and had to be carted off the field. In an unfortunate trend, the cornerback also was injured and had to be carted off the field on the first day of padded practice in 2016 with a Lisfranc injury. That came on the heels of missing his rookie campaign with a shoulder injury.
After registering 10 interceptions in 2014 and 16 during his three-year stay at Ole Miss, Golson entered the NFL Draft with significant upside and impressed Steelers defensive backs coach Carnell Lake. “What I measure defensive backs on is how tough they are. They have to check that box for me. I suspect he’ll do that,” Lake said after the pick.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/14/17
Today’s practice squad updates:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: QB Garrett Grayson
- Waived: K Mike Meyer
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: CB Sojourn Shelton
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: FB Ricky Ortiz
- Waived: G Jason King
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: WR Dres Anderson
- Waived: WR KeVonn Mabon
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: DT Rickey Hatley
- Waived: T Nick Becton, WR Amba Etta-Tawo
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: S Jack Tocho
- Waived: G Willie Beavers
New York Giants
- Signed: T Nick Becton
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: S Harold Jones-Quartey
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: OL Cameron Hunt
- Placed on injured list: OL J.P. Flynn
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: S Alex Carter, LB P.J. Dawson, CB Trovon Reed
- Placed on injured list: CB Akeem King
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: WR Freddie Martino
- Waived: DE Patrick Gamble, CB David Rivers
Washington Redskins
- Waived: DE Tavaris Barnes
Koetter Expects Winston To Play Again This Season
We heard yesterday that Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston could miss “an extended period” of time as he recovered from a shoulder injury. However, head coach Dirk Koetter was still adamant that the franchise signal-caller would take the field again this season.