A female Uber driver in Tampa, Florida, is suing Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston for allegedly groping her during a ride in her car. Her accusation ultimately led to a 3 game suspension for the quarterback by the NFL.
The plaintiff, identified as “Kate P.”, states in the lawsuit that Winston “issued a hollow apology” in July and “has a history of sexually hostile behavior and appears to be no closer to understanding the impact of his conduct.” The lawsuit alleges that Winston was “belligerent” while waiting in a drive-thru line of Los Betos restaurant in Scottsdale, Arizona, in March of 2016. The victim claims Winston “leaned toward her and placed his fingers between her legs and pressed them firmly against her vagina over her yoga pants.” She responded, saying “What’s up with that?” before Winston withdrew his hand. She then tried calling her boyfriend before sending him several texts, writing in one “I just got semi-molested by the Tampa Bay Buc QB” and that she was “pretty shaken up..”
After discussing the incident with her boyfriend, the woman contacted Uber the next day to report the incident. Winston was contacted by Uber and told the service that there were other passengers in the car that night. NFL came to the conclusion after an 8 month investigation that Winston engaged in detrimental conduct by “touching the driver in an inappropriate and sexual manner without her consent and that disciplinary action was necessary and appropriate.”
Although the victim told reporters in November 2017 that she wasn’t seeking financial compensation, she is now seeking $75,000 in “damages in the nature of emotional distress and future therapy expenses.” She claims coming forward because she wants to tell the truth “about a powerful man who felt entitled to my body when all I wanted to do was my job.”