Arizona Uber driver sues NFL QB Jameis Winston for groping her
Sep 18, 2018, 6:01 PM
(AP Photo/Jason Behnken)
(AP Photo/Jason Behnken)
PHOENIX – An Arizona Uber driver who accused Jameis Winston of groping her has filed a civil lawsuit against the suspended Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback.
The woman, identified only as Kate P. of Maricopa County in court documents, alleged that Winston sexually assaulted her on March 13, 2016, when he was a passenger in her vehicle in Scottsdale.
After investigating the incident, the NFL suspended Winston for the first three games of this season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy by touching the woman inappropriately.
The league started its investigation in November 2017 after the driver told BuzzFeed about the incident.
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Winston initially denied the accusations, but he issued an apology after his suspension was announced.
“First and foremost, I would like to say I’m sorry to the Uber driver for the position I put you in. It is uncharacteristic of me and I genuinely apologize,” he said in a statement.
“I apologize to my teammates, the Buccaneers organization and fans for letting them down and for not being able to be out there for the first three games of the season.”
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, called the apology “hollow.”
The court documents detailed allegations of Winston grabbing the driver’s crotch while waiting in the drive-thru line at Los Betos Mexican restaurant.
No dollar amount was requested, but the court would only have jurisdiction over the case in the event it was for more than $75,000.
The suit sought damages for emotional pain and suffering as well as punitive damages.
Winston won the Heisman Trophy at Florida State in 2013 and is in the fourth year of his initial NFL contract, which was worth $25.3 million guaranteed.
Through the first two games of Winston’s suspension, the Buccaneers were unbeaten with Gilbert Highland High School product Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback.
