Friend Says Jameis Winston Was Alone With Uber Driver on Night of Alleged Sexual Abuse
Brandon Banks, a former Vanderbilt football player who says he was with Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston on the night he alleged sexually abused a female Uber driver, says Winston was alone with the driver and not riding with friends like it was previously claimed, according to ESPN's Outside the Lines.
When the allegation against Winston was initially reported by BuzzFeed News, Eagles cornerback Ronald Darby said he was with Winston on that night, and said he and Winston sat in the backseat of an Uber while a third friend, now identified as Banks, was in the front seat. Winston also issued a similar statement that said, "the driver was confused as to the number of passengers in the car and who was sitting next to her."
Mark Scruggs, Banks's attorney, told Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times Banks was in an Uber with Winston and Darby in Scottsdale, Ariz. on their way to a nightclub on the March 2016 night the abuse allegedly happened, but added that Winston left the nightclub in an Uber by himself. Scruggs also told Outside the Lines Winston became "unruly" because he was so intoxicated, which caused Banks and Darby to put him in an Uber.
"What happened after that, we cannot say," Scruggs told Outside the Lines.
• Jameis Winston’s Likely Suspension Threatening a Critical Season for Both QB and Franchise
On Thursday, it was reported the NFL plans to issue Winston a three-game suspension for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy in relation to the incident, but neither Winston or the team has been notified of the suspension.
Banks is currently serving 15 years in prison after he was found guilty of aggravated rape and aggravated sexual battery in June 2017 in relation to his role in the gang rape of a female Vanderbilt student in 2013. Scruggs told Auman the NFL reached out to Banks while he was in prison, but Banks said he would not speak without his attorney and the NFL never followed up.
A spokesman for the Eagles told ESPN Darby was unlikely to comment on the incident Friday and a spokeswoman for Winston told ESPN she could not comment on what Banks said or any other aspect of the investigation.
