The Facts: An allegation that Winston groped an Uber driver in March 2016 is reportedly being investigated by the NFL. Talal Ansari of BuzzFeed News reported on Friday (via Profootballtalk.com) that the driver received a letter from NFL special counsel for investigations Lisa Friel informing her that the league has heard about the allegations and "opened an investigation into this matter."
Diehards Line:The driver, identified only as Kate, says that she picked up Winston around 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 13 in Scottsdale, Arizona and that Winston sat in the front passenger seat next to her. She says Winston asked to get food at a drive-thru restaurant and, per the driver, Winston “reached over and he just grabbed my crotch” while they were waiting for it to be delivered. She claims Winston held his hand there for three to five seconds. She reported the incident to Uber, but told Ansari she did not go to police because she was afraid of negative backlash if she went that route. In a statement to BuzzFeed News, a spokesperson for Uber said “the rider was permanently removed from the app shortly after we learned of the incident.” This is not the first time that Winston has been accused of sexual impropriety. In 2016, he settled a civil suit filed by a woman who accused him of raping her in 2012 while he was at Florida State. He was never charged with a crime by Tallahassee, Florida police in that matter. Winston has denied the allegation.