Key witness in Winston case left out major detail, wasn't in the vehicle the entire time

By Ross Kelly June 22, 2018 at 3:31pm

With a suspension for Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston looming, more details are coming out regarding his sexual assault case.

Winston was accused by an Uber driver of groping her while they were waiting in a drive-thru over two years ago, an accusation the quarterback has emphatically denied.

Coming to Winston’s defense was Ronald Darby, his former college teammate at Florida State and a current member of the Philadelphia Eagles.

The cornerback had claimed he was in the vehicle with Winston and that no such behavior took place.

https://www.facebook.com/AdamSchefter/posts/1683690688350232

But according to Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network, the league’s investigation into the incident found that Darby wasn’t telling the full truth regarding his presence in the vehicle.

While Darby was in the vehicle at times, he was not in the Uber ride the whole time — a key detail to leave out.

A few notes on Jameis Winston’s situation, following up on reports from ESPN Tallahassee and ESPN. One thing to highlight: Ronald Darby’s backing Winston ultimately didn’t hold water because he wasn’t in the car the whole time, the NFL’s investigation found. pic.twitter.com/hd0wAsfSpS

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) June 21, 2018

“I am told that based on the findings of the NFL’s investigation, Darby was not there for the entire length of the trip and that there were multiple legs of the trip,” Garafolo said Thursday.

Does a three-game suspension seem fair for Jameis Winston?

While Darby’s initial statement doesn’t explicitly say he was in the vehicle the whole time, it also doesn’t explicitly say that there was a point in which he was not in the vehicle with Winston and the driver.

The NFL found that detail in its investigation, along with some electronic communication evidence pointing to Winston being guilty in some way, Garafolo said.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter originally reported that Winston was likely facing a three-game suspension but that number could change based on any last-minute findings.

If Winston is suspended for three games, Schefter also points out that he would likely not appeal the suspension for risk of it dragging into the following season in which Winston’s salary jumps from $705,000 to over $20 million.

Jameis Winston would lose $124,000 in base salary for 3-game suspension with 2017 salary at $705,000; salary for next season scheduled to be $20.9 million, reducing the chance that Winston would consider appealing this suspension and dragging it out.https://t.co/8J9Y4qC1t8

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 21, 2018

The recent suspensions for Tom Brady and Ezekiel Elliott are examples in which the discipline wasn’t enforced until the year after the NFL’s investigation. Winston likely will sit for three games no matter when he serves the suspension, but it’s smart, financially, to do it in 2018.

Without Winston, the Bucs’ tough September will get even tougher. Tampa Bay opens up against three playoff teams as it travels to New Orleans in Week 1 and then plays host to the Eagles and Steelers in Week 2 and Week 3, respectively.

Ryan Fitzpatrick is expected to be the Bucs’ starter in Winston’s place, and he posted a 2-1 record as a starter last year. But Fitzpatrick’s .408 career winning percentage is the worst of any active NFL quarterback who’s started at least 75 games.

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