In case you haven't heard, Jameis Winston is in the news again, this time for an incident that allegedly occurred in March, 2016. As BuzzFeed reported, he's been accused of groping an Uber driver while in the drive-through of a Mexican restaurant in Scottsdale, Arizona. The driver in question reported it to Uber at the time, and they apparently suspended his account. She came forward with her story publicly just recently, at a time when women (and men), inspired by the Harvey Weinstein scandal, are coming forward in significant numbers to publicly name celebrities that allegedly sexually assaulted them. The NFL is now investigating.
Jameis has released a denial of the accusations through his representatives and on Twitter, saying that the story was inaccurate, there were actually three passengers in the car, he was in the backseat, and nothing happened (but apologizing if the driver felt uncomfortable). Since then, Ronald Darby has come forward, stating that he was in the back seat with Jameis and that nothing happened.
So Jameis has been accused of unwanted sexual contact and Ronald Darby is his alibi. That sounds mighty familiar. If Chris Casher turns up with a freshly erased phone camera, I give up.
I see five possibilities, listed in order from best for Jameis to worst:
- The driver completely made this up. I find this hard to believe given the only action she originally took was to complain to Uber about him. Had she wanted to really punish him for some reason, getting his Uber canceled is pretty tame. If she really knew who he was and was plotting to get money from him, coming forward while he was still litigating the rape case he was accused of would have been the right timing instead of sitting on it until now.
- The driver was mixed up and actually took two separate rides from that party, and has the other ride mixed up with Jameis. It could happen -- obviously someone who's just been groped could be flustered enough to get the details mixed up and had this other ride mixed up with Jameis. However, given that Uber has electronic record of who called each time, this seems highly unlikely.
- This occurred in the ride that Jameis took, but the driver was mixed up in the details. Whoever was in the front seat may have made the inappropriate contact and the driver thought that the person in the front seat was Jameis (it sounds like she has little to no knowledge of the NFL). Jameis and Ronald may not remember anything untoward happening because they were distracted and/or inebriated enough to not have a clear recollection. This is plausible, and it doesn't speak well to the company that Jameis and Ronald keep.
- The driver has the details correct, but misinterpreted the contact in some way. For example, if this was in a drive-through, Jameis might have leaned in to talk to someone, hand over cash/card, or take his food and steadied himself with a hand on her leg, resulting in the unwanted contact. However, he's now lying to defend himself against the accusations and has gotten Ronald to lie for him as well.
- The driver is completely correct, and Jameis fondled her and is now lying about it and got Ronald to lie about it.
Big Performances Last Week
Nick O'Leary scored his first NFL touchdown last week. Congrats, NOL!
This wouldn't have been impressive a few years ago, but Graham Gano was perfect on 7 kicks, with 6 of them extra points in the Panthers' blowout of the Dolphins Monday night.
Telvin Smith had his usual stellar performance, racking up nine tackles with a couple of stuffs.
Injury and Depth Chart Updates
The Noles are relatively healthy (except for those on injured reserve), with only Jameis (continuing to be out with his shoulder injury) and Devonta Freeman (still recovering from the concussion he suffered last week) on the report.
Chris Thompson has arguably been the man in the Washington backfield all season, but now he's the veteran leader of the RB corps, as usual starter Rob Kelley is out for the remainder of the season.
Storylines to Watch
Vince Williams played Thursday night and had a stellar evening as the Steelers shellacked the Titans.
The Eagles' four Noles will be on full display as they take on a hobbled Dallas team tonight.
Lamarcus Joyner and Xavier Rhodes will have a DB-off as the Rams visit the Vikings.
And now for The Table. I'm actually at home today, and will update status and stats throughout the day. Depth chart information pulled from OurLads.com while injury report information is pulled from CBS Sports.
Player | Team | Position | Week 11 Status | Week 11 Stats | Season Stats |
Devonta Freeman | Atlanta Falcons | Running Back | Starter Out (concussion) |
Inactive | 116 carries, 536 yards (long: 44), 5 TDs, 19 catches, 136 yards (long: 18), 24 targets, 1 tackle (1 solo) |
Kelvin Benjamin | Buffalo Bills | Wide Receiver | Starter | 1 catch, 20 yards, 1 target | 35 catches, 517 yards (long: 43), 2 TD, 57 targets 1 Inactive |
Nick O'Leary | Buffalo Bills | Tight End | Backup (2nd string) | 1 catch, 8 yards, 3 targets | 15 catches, 228 yards (long: 32), 1 TD, 21 targets, 1 fumble, 1 fumble lost, 1 tackle (1 solo) |
Graham Gano | Carolina Panthers | Place kicker | Starter | Bye | 20/21 FG (long: 48), 21/22 XP |
Roberto Aguayo | Carolina Panthers | Place kicker | Practice Squad | Bye | |
Christian Jones | Chicago Bears | Linebacker | Backup (2nd string) | 8 tackles (6 solo, 1 sack, 1 TFL), 1 QB hit | 56 tackles (36 solo, 1 TFL), 1 PD, 1 QB hit, 1 fumble recovery |
Eddie Goldman | Chicago Bears | Defensive Lineman | Starter | 2 tackles (2 solo, 1 TFL), 1 QB hit | 27 tackles (19 solo, 1.5 sack, 2 TFL), 3 QB hits |
Levonte Whitfield | Cincinnati Bengals | Wide Receiver | Practice Squad | ||
Roderick Johnson | Cleveland Browns | Offensive Tackle | Injured Reserve | ||
Marquez White | Dallas Cowboys | Cornerback | Practice Squad | ||
DeMarcus Walker | Denver Broncos | Outside Linebacker | Backup (2nd string) | Inactive | 2 tackles (2 solo), 1 QB hit 3 Inactive |
Menelik Watson | Denver Broncos | Offensive Tackle | Injured Reserve | 2 tackle (2 solo) Inactive |
|
Jalen Ramsey | Jacksonville Jaguars | Cornerback | Starter | 6 tackles (4 solo), 1 PD | 30 tackles (26 solo), 13 PD, 2 INT, 16 yards (long: 15) |
Rashad Greene Sr. | Jacksonville Jaguars | Wide Receiver | Injured Reserve | ||
Telvin Smith | Jacksonville Jaguars | Linebacker | Starter | 5 tackles (3 solo), 1 PD, 1 INT, 26 yards, 1 fumble recovery, 1 TD | 71 tackles (54 solo, 1 sack, 11 TFL), 4 PD, 2 QB hits, 2 INT, 30 yards (long: 28), 1 TD, 1 fumble recovery |
Cameron Erving | Kansas City Chiefs | Offensive Tackle | Backup (2nd string) | ||
Terrance Smith | Kansas City Chiefs | Linebacker | Backup (3rd string) | 3 tackle (3 solo) | |
Ukeme Eligwe | Kansas City Chiefs | Linebacker | Backup (3rd string) | 2 tackle (2 solo) 1 Inactive |
|
Lamarcus Joyner | Los Angeles Rams | Safety | Starter | 4 tackles (4 solo), 1 PD | 25 tackles (19 solo), 4 PD, 2 INT, 58 yards (long: 29), 1 TD 3 Inactive |
Lawrence Timmons | Miami Dolphins | Linebacker | Starter | 6 tackles (5 solo) | 49 tackles (33 solo, 4 TFL), 2 PD, 2 QB hits 1 Inactive, 1 suspension |
Dalvin Cook | Minnesota Vikings | Running Back | Injured Reserve | 74 carries, 354 yards (long: 33), 2 TD, 11 catches, 90 yards (long: 36), 16 targets, 1 fumble | |
Xavier Rhodes | Minnesota Vikings | Cornerback | Starter | 2 tackles (2 solo) | 26 tackles (20 solo, 1 TFL), 5 PD, 1 INT, 2 yards |
P.J. Williams | New Orleans Saints | Cornerback | Backup (2nd string) | 8 tackles (5 solo) | 24 tackles (15 solo, 0.5 TFL), 4 PD, 1 INT, 7 yards |
Bobby Hart | New York Giants | Offensive Tackle | Starter | 1 tackle (1 solo) 2 Inactives |
|
Travis Rudolph | New York Giants | Wide Receiver | Backup (2nd string) | 3 catches, 34 yards (long: 19), 6 targets | 3 catches, 32 yards (long: 15), 7 target 1 Inactive |
Terrence Brooks | New York Jets | Safety | Backup (2nd string) | Bye | 8 tackles (6 solo), 3 PD, 3 QB hits, 2 INT, 13 yards (long: 13) 1 Inactive |
EJ Manuel | Oakland Raiders | Quarterback | Backup (2nd string) | 24/43, 265 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 2 carries, 15 yards (long: 10) | |
Mario Edwards Jr. | Oakland Raiders | Defensive End | Starter | 26 tackles (19 solo, 3.5 sacks, 5 TFL), 9 QB hits | |
Rodney Hudson | Oakland Raiders | Center | Starter | 1 tackle (1 solo), 1 fumble, 1 fumble recovery | |
Sebastian Janikowski | Oakland Raiders | Place kicker | Injured Reserve | ||
Nigel Bradham | Philadelphia Eagles | Linebacker | Starter | 6 tackles (4 solo), 1 fumble recovery, 1 TD | 50 tackles (34 solo, 1 sack, 3 TFL), 4 PD, 3 QB hits |
Patrick Robinson | Philadelphia Eagles | Cornerback | Backup (2nd string) | 5 tackles (4 solo), 1 PD | 29 tackles (24 solo, 3 TFL), 11 PD, 3 INT, 17 yards (long: 17) |
Ronald Darby | Philadelphia Eagles | Cornerback | Starter | 8 tackles (8 solo), 2 PD, 1 INT, 5 yards | 1 tackle (1 solo) 8 Inactive |
Tim Jernigan | Philadelphia Eagles | Defensive Tackle | Starter | 4 tackles (1 solo, 1 sack, 1 TFL), 1 QB hit | 17 tackles (11 solo, 1.5 sacks, 7.5 TFL), 6 QB hits |
Vince Williams | Pittsburgh Steelers | Linebacker | Starter | 7 tackles (6 solo, 1 sack, 2 TFL), 3 QB hits | 47 tackles (37 solo, 5 sacks, 6 TFL), 6 QB hits |
Dekoda Watson | San Francisco 49ers | Linebacker | Backup (2nd string) | Bye | 7 tackles (5 solo) 2 Inactive |
Tank Carradine | San Francisco 49ers | Defensive End | Injured Reserve | Bye | 7 tackles (5 solo, 1 sack, 1 TFL), 3 QB hits |
Garrison Sanborn | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Long Snapper | Starter | ||
Jameis Winston | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Quarterback | Starter Out (shoulder) |
Inactive | 159/259, 1382 yards, 10 TD, 6 INT, 15 carries, 51 yards (long: 9), 8 fumbles, 2 fumble lost, 1 tackle (1 solo) 1 Inactive |
Javien Elliott | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Cornerback | Backup (3rd string) | 3 tackles (3 solo) 1 Inactive |
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Jesus Wilson | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Wide Receiver | Practice Squad | ||
Chris Thompson | Washington Redskins | Running Back/Kick Returner | Starter/Starter | 4 carries, 17 yards (long: 16), 1 catch, 16 yards, 1 TD, 1 target | 60 carries, 277 yards (long: 61), 2 TDS, 38 catches, 494 yards (long: 74), 3 TD, 53 targets, 3 fumble, 2 fumble lost, 8 returns, 165 yards (long: 29) |
Dustin Hopkins | Washington Redskins | Place kicker | Injured Reserve | 9/11 FG (long: 48), 12/13 XP | |
Chris Casher | x-Free Agent | Linebacker | |||
Freddie Stevenson | x-Free Agent | Fullback | |||
Giorgio Newberry | x-Free Agent | Defensive End | |||
Josue Matias | x-Free Agent | Guard | |||
Kareem Are | x-Free Agent | Guard | |||
Letroy Guion | x-Free Agent | Defensive Tackle | |||
Marvin Bracy | x-Free Agent | Wide Receiver | |||
Reggie Northrup | x-Free Agent | Linebacker | |||
Rodney Smith | x-Free Agent | Wide Receiver |