Saints QB Jameis Winston once lost $124,000 in 3-game suspension for allegedly groping Uber driver

Long ago, Jameis Winston was dogged by controversy. In college, there was the crablegs situation in which he reportedly stole some from a store and there was the sexual assault allegation early on in his career. He was accused of groping his Uber driver.

The NFL suspended Winston for the first three games of the season as a result. They conducted an investigation that discovered that the then-Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback violated the league’s personal conduct policy. Winston was allegedly “touching the driver in an inappropriate and sexual manner without her consent.”

The company also conducted an investigation and determined that he had violated rules. He was banned for life from Uber as a result of their findings as well. The ban from the NFL cost him $124,000, which was three game salaries.

He settled a lawsuit in December of 2016 that alleged that Winston had sexually assaulted a student while they were at Florida State University.

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What happened with Jameis Winston and Uber?

When this all went down, the Uber driver picked up Jameis Winston at a nightclub in Arizona early on the morning of March 13, 2016. Winston approached with friends Ronald Darby and Brandon Banks, one of them told Winston via Washington Post:

“She is hot. You should sit in the front seat, Jameis.”

He obliged and they left, with the friends telling the driver that she was driving the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback and that he was “precious cargo” and that she needed to “take real good care of him.”

Jameis Winston played for the Bucs during this time

Winston's behavior got worse as the ride went on and he was not outwardly drunk, but did seem to be in a very bad mood. He told the driver that he wanted a burrito, so she diverted from the course to get him one.

The lawsuit stated:

“While waiting for the food to arrive and without any warning, Defendant Winston leaned toward Plaintiff and placed his fingers between her legs and pressed them firmly against her v****a over her yoga pants."

She then dropped the quarterback off and texted her boyfriend about the events, saying she was shaken up. She didn't initially come forward due to Winston's celebrity status, but was inspired by the Me Too movement.