The NFL on Friday confirmed it is investigating an allegation of sexual assault against Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston after a female Uber driver complained of being groped by the star last year.
BuzzFeed News reported that the driver had alleged Winston grabbed her crotch during a ride in Scottsdale, Arizona, in March last year.
Winston has denied the allegation.
Tampa’s signal-caller is now being probed by the NFL’s special counsel for investigations, Lisa Friel, who wrote to the quarterback’s accuser.
“The league has been informed that you may have been the victim of such a violation perpetrated by Tampa Bay Buccaneers player Jameis Winston,” Friel wrote in the letter. “The league takes allegations of this nature very seriously and has opened an investigation into this matter.”
Winston, 23, issued a statement in response to the BuzzFeed report, denying the allegations.
“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.
“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,” he said.
“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,” he added.
Winston is in his third season with Tampa Bay after being the top pick in the 2015 draft.
His college career was dogged by controversy, including a 2012 allegation of rape by a fellow student at Florida State University.
Winston did not face charges following that incident.
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