TAMPA, Fla. _ One day after Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston was suspended three games, the female Uber driver who accused him of groping her in Arizona in 2016 made her first comments in response.
"I am glad to see the NFL discipline Jameis Winston," she said in a statement released through her attorney. "I do appreciate his apology, even if it needs some work."
A seven-month NFL investigation determined that the driver's allegations were "consistent and credible," finding that Winston violated the league's personal conduct policy "by touching the driver in an inappropriate and sexual manner without consent."
The woman, identified as "Kate" in the report, thanked the NFL for a "professional and thorough" investigation and said she hopes her story helps other victims feel comfortable coming forward.
"My experience should highlight the importance of believing women when they have the courage to come forward about sexual assault," she said. "Perhaps that night could have been prevented if others had been believed before me."
In closing, the driver referenced Winston's comments to girls at Melrose Elementary last year that they were "supposed to be silent, polite, gentle," then the hashtag for the movement that prompted her to speak up last year.
"Mr. Winston once said, 'Girls should be silent, polite, and gentle,' she wrote. "I disagree. #MeToo"
The driver's attorney, John Clune, also revealed new information about the league's investigation Friday.
Clune said that the NFL investigation found text message information that showed Winston's former FSU teammate, Ronald Darby, was outside the club as Winston was finishing the ride from the club.
That corroborates the account from former Vanderbilt player Brandon Banks, who said through an attorney that Winston was being "unruly" and sent off from the club by himself in a car with a female Uber driver.
.png?w=600)
