Bills DE Hughes admits involvement in alleged race

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) Bills defensive end Jerry Hughes confirmed he was driving the second car in an alleged race on city streets that led to teammate Marcell Dareus crashing his 2012 Jaguar into a tree last week.

''I was there. I was involved in it,'' said Hughes following practice Wednesday.

Hughes said Hamburg Town police have contacted him regarding his role in the accident, which occurred near Ralph Wilson Stadium and about 3 hours after the team ended a minicamp practice on Friday. He added no other Bills players were involved.

Hughes repeatedly said, ''the facts are the facts,'' in declining to answer any other questions because the police are still investigating.

His comments come a day after police announced Dareus had been arrested and charged with reckless endangerment and ticketed for several traffic violations, including drag racing.

After receiving a complaint of two cars racing at high speeds near a shopping mall just before the start of rush-hour, police arrived to discover Dareus' Jaguar badly damaged after crashing into a tree near a busy intersection. Dareus was arrested and then released and is scheduled to appear in court June 17.

No one was hurt in the one-car crash.

Hughes acknowledged he was driving the second vehicle, a black Camaro.

Dareus has not spoken publicly about what happened. The 2011 first-round draft pick is taking the next two weeks off from voluntary practices after consulting with coach Doug Marrone.

Marrone previously said he knew who was driving the second vehicle, but declined to reveal who because of the police investigation.

The accident occurred about a month after Dareus was arrested in his native Alabama and charged with possession of synthetic marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

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