TAMPA, Fla. _ The NFL is expected to suspend Tampa Bay Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston at least three games without pay for violating the league's personal conduct policy. Winston's suspension could be increased if he fails to meet certain undisclosed requirements expected to be imposed by the NFL. He will be allowed to participate in training camp and all four preseason games.
The suspension, which could be announced as early as Friday, stems from an NFL investigation started eight months ago after a female Uber driver in Scottsdale, Ariz., accused Winston of groping her during a ride on March 16, 2016.
No criminal or civil complaint was pursued by the alleged victim, who has remained anonymous but said she was inspired to come forward by the #MeToo movement.
Winston, 24, will miss the season opener Sept. 9 at New Orleans, the Bucs' home opener Sept. 16 against defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia and a Monday Night Football game Sept. 24 at Raymond James Stadium against Pittsburgh.
It is unclear how much the suspension will cost Winston. At minimum he could lose $41,471 for each game check he misses. His 2018 contract is worth $20.1 million and is guaranteed only against injury.
According to the collective bargaining agreement, Winston has three days to file a notice of appeal and a hearing must be scheduled within 10 days of receipt of the notice. But Winston is not expected to appeal and could be eligible to play at Chicago on Sept. 30.
Winston has maintained his innocence, saying he was in the back seat during the ride that included two other passengers. One of them was Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Ronald Darby, his Florida State teammate, who said he was seated next to Winston and nothing happened. The third passenger was never identified by Winston or his representatives.
The NFL apparently gave more weight to the contemporaneous complaint, filed the next day by the driver with Uber, and other correspondence and testimony about the incident.
Winston's suspension is a crushing blow for the Bucs. Head coach Dirk Koetter and general manager Jason Licht already were beginning the season on the hot seat after a 5-11 record in 2017.
This is the first time Winston's off-field actions have impacted his NFL career.
It was an allegation of sexual assault that prompted Winston to settle a civil lawsuit with Erica Kinsman, who said she was raped in 2012 when the two were students at Florida State. Winston was never charged after a probe by the State Attorney's Office and a Title IX investigation. Also while Winston was at FSU, a second woman met with its victim's advocate program regarding a sexual encounter with the quarterback. The case was never reported to police.
Winston was suspended for a game against Clemson in 2014 for making offensive and vulgar comments about female anatomy on campus.
Winston took the unusual step of requesting a meeting with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and other league officials in New York less than two months before the draft. The talks lasted about five hours, according to an NFL spokesman.
Throughout the Bucs' vetting process, Winston faced questions about his character, ranging from the crab legs he carried out of a Publix supermarket without paying for them in Tallahassee to the time he was suspended for shouting a vulgarity on campus.
Even so, the Bucs still drafted Winston with the No. 1 overall pick in 2015.
In November, the NFL informed Winston he was under investigation for allegations of sexual assault that occurred March 16, 2016, only a couple months following the completion of his rookie season.
According to a BuzzFeed News report, Winston had spent the day attending Kurt Warner's football camp in Scottsdale, Ariz., when he used his Uber account to arrange transportation around 2 a.m.
The woman, identified only as Kate in the report, told BuzzFeed that a group of men excitedly told her she would be driving someone famous that night: Jameis Winston, the quarterback of the Bucs and 2013 Heisman Trophy winner.
The woman said Winston was placed in the front passenger seat and that he was the only one she drove that night. "I started driving, and right away, Jameis behaved poorly," she said, claiming he shouted homophobic slurs at pedestrians.
She said Winston wanted food and while waiting in line at the drive-thru of Los Betos Mexican Food, "he reached over and he just grabbed my crotch," Kate said. Winston held his hand there for three to five seconds, according to the woman, removing it only after she looked up in shock and said "What's up with that?"
"I wasn't just creeped out," she said. "I was frozen. I mean he's an NFL quarterback and I'm 5 foot 6. I'm not prepared for that. So I completely froze," she said, worried that she might provoke an unwanted reaction.
Working against Winston was the fact that the driver filed a written complaint with Uber soon after the ride, saying that "apparently a big athlete in the NFL" reached over "and put his fingers on my crotch. ... It wasn't my stomach or thigh, it was my crotch and I want to be clear about that." Kate ended her incident report with Uber stating, "He is not safe for other drivers."
Uber left a voicemail message for Winston, saying his account had been suspended due to a complaint by a driver of inappropriate behavior by him or another passenger.
Winston said he denied the allegation to Uber, but his account remained suspended. He kept a recording of the voice message left by Uber.
Winston has declined to discuss the allegations publicly since he was informed of the investigation by the NFL last November. But in his statement released at the time, he said he regretted if his "demeanor or presence made her uncomfortable in any way."
"A news organization has published a story about me regarding an alleged incident involving a female Uber driver from approximately two years ago." Winston said in a November statement. "The 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. 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 that 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."
Winston, who has been active in the Tampa Bay community with fundraisers for his Dream Forever Foundation and annual youth football camps, won the Heisman Trophy and a national championship during his career at Florida State. He became the youngest player to pass for 4,000 yards as a rookie in 2015, was named to the NFC Pro Bowl team as a replacement and selected Pepsi Rookie of the Year in a poll of fan voting.
He has passed for 11,636 yards with 69 touchdowns and 44 interceptions in his three seasons with the Bucs.
Winston has had one winning season at Tampa Bay. The 2016 Bucs were 9-7 and failed to reach the playoffs. Winston is 18-27 as starter. Last season, he played three games with a right shoulder sprain and missed three others due to the injury as the Bucs finished 5-11.
