USA Today Sports/REUTERS
The National Football League has suspended Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston for the first three games of the season after an Uber driver accused him of grabbing her crotch. The driver said that in March 2016, Winston groped her when she picked him up from a party at about 2 a.m. The NFL “concluded that Winston violated the personal conduct policy by touching the driver in an inappropriate and sexual manner without her consent and that disciplinary action was necessary and appropriate.” Winston apologized for the incident in a statement, saying that he’s stopped drinking alcohol. “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. “I know I have to hold myself to a higher standard on and off the field and that I have a responsibility to my family, community, and teammates to live above the platform with which God has blessed me.” The alleged incident occurred nine months before Winston settled a civil suit brought by a woman who said he raped her when they were students at Florida State University in 2012. The university later paid the woman $950,000 in another settlement related to the alleged sexual assault.