Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston sued over groping incident in Uber

AFTER being suspended by the NFL for violating the league’s personal conduct policy, a star quarterback is once again in hot water.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jameis Winston is being sued by a female Uber driver over a groping incident.

A FEMALE Uber driver in Arizona is suing Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston, accusing him of sexual assault.

Court documents say the woman filed the suit in Arizona on Tuesday and is seeking more than $75,000 in damages.

It also states Winston “issued a hollow apology” in July and “has a history of sexually hostile behaviour and appears to be no closer to understanding the impact of his conduct.”

She said Winston grabbed her crotch in the drive-thru of a Mexican restaurant in the Phoenix area in March 2016.

The NFL in June suspended Winston for three games for violating the league’s personal conduct policy, after an investigation into the incident.

Previously, Winston had denied the allegations. In a statement, he did not, instead apologising to the driver and saying he no longer drinks alcohol.

“First and foremost, I would like to say I’m sorry to the Uber driver for the position I put you in,” Winston said.

“It is uncharacteristic of me and I genuinely apologise. In the past 2½ years my life has been filled with experiences, opportunities and events that have helped me grow, mature and learn, including the fact that I have eliminated alcohol from my life.

Jameis Winston is being sued for sexual assault. pic.twitter.com/TOBG8sygsG

— theScore (@theScore) September 19, 2018

“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. I apologise to my teammates, the Buccaneers organisation and fans for letting them down and for not being able to go out there for the first three games of the season. Although I am disappointed in the NFL’s decision, I understand the NFL’s process, and I embrace this as an opportunity to take advantage of the resources available to help me achieve the goals that I have for myself.

“I now look forward to putting this behind me and I will continue to work hard every day to be a positive influence in my community and be the best person, teammate and leader I can be.”

The three game suspension, which comes to an end next Tuesday, has cost Winston roughly $124,000.

This isn’t the first time Winston has had a suit brought against him over sexual assault after being investigated over an incident while attending Florida State.

While that suit was settled out of court in 2016, the student Erica Kinsmann filed a lawsuit against the school for their handling of the incident.

Kinsmann’s lawyer during the case was John Clune who is now the lawyer for the female Uber driver, according to ESPN.

Winston is set to return to NFL action during Week 4 of the season.

Despite being without their starting quarterback, the Buccaneers have dominated their opening two games behind backup Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Fitzpatrick torched the New Orleans Saints in the opening game of the season as he threw for 417 yards and four touchdowns.

He then backed that effort up against the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles as he recorded another 402 yards and four touchdowns.

He’ll once again lead the team into battle when they take on the perennial AFC powerhouse Pittsburgh Steelers on Tuesday morning at 10:15am (AEST).

Winston is eligible to return to the team on Wednesday and could potentially take his place as the shotcaller for the fourth game of the season against the Chicago Bears.

— with AP and NY Post

Originally published as Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston sued over groping incident in Uber