Ronald Darby Defends Jameis Winston In Own Account Of Alleged Groping Incident

Ronald Darby apparently was in the car with Jameis Winston on March 13, 2016, and insists the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback did nothing wrong.

Darby, a Philadelphia Eagles cornerback who was Winston’s college teammate at Florida State, released a statement Sunday regarding recent allegations that Winston groped a female Uber driver in a car last year.

Darby claimed in his statement that there were three passengers in the car instead of just Winston, and that Winston didn’t touch the driver.

“I felt the need to come forward and clarify some inaccurate accounts of the evening of March 13, 2016 when myself, a friend and Jameis Winston took an Uber ride in Arizona,” Darby said, via ESPN.com. “There were three of us in the car, not just one as has been reported. Myself and Jameis were in the backseat. I am confident that nothing inappropriate in nature happened in the car that evening and Jameis did not have any physical contact with the Uber driver. The accusations are just not true.”

Darby’s account differs from that of the driver, identified only as “Kate,” who told BuzzFeed News that Winston was the only other person in the car, and that the QB grabbed her crotch for roughly five seconds while the car was in line at a drive-thru.

Winston also denied the allegations, releasing a statement Friday insisting the driver was confused about the number of passengers in the car and claiming her accusation was “false.”

Darby apparently has come to Winston’s defense before, according to ESPN. When Winston was accused of sexually assaulting a female student at FSU in 2012, Darby and teammate Chris Casher provided affidavits claiming they witnessed Winston having consensual sex with the student. Winston later was cleared of violating the school’s social conduct code and reached a settlement with the student in 2016.