The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will open the season without quarterback Jameis Winston [url=http://www.49erscheapstore.com/cassius-marsh-jersey-cheap]Cassius Marsh Jersey[/url] , who has been suspended three games for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
Winston said in a statement released on Facebook that the NFL informed him of their decision on Thursday. The discipline stems from the league’s investigation of an accusation that the 2013 Heisman Trophy winner groped a female Uber driver during a ride the quarterback took in Arizona, where Winston was attending a charity event in March 2016.
The driver did not file a criminal or civil complaint, however she reported the incident to Uber. The NFL learned of the allegation, when it was reported publicly last November.
”The league promptly initiated a comprehensive investigation that included interviews with several persons, including the driver, Winston and others with relevant information,” the NFL said in a statement announcing the suspension. ”The league also examined an extensive amount of other evidence, including telephone records, business records, data from electronic devices and other communications.”
The Bucs drafted Winston No. 1 overall in 2015, despite questions about the young quarterback’s behavior during his college career at Florida State.
Winston [url=http://www.giantscheapstore.com/eli-manning-jersey-cheap]Eli Manning Jersey[/url] , 24, was accused of raping a fellow student at FSU, but was never charged. The university settled a Title IX lawsuit over its handling of the allegations with Winston’s accuser, Erica Kinsman, in January 2016 for $1.7 million.
Winston said in his statement Thursday that ”in the past 2 years my life has been filled with experiences, opportunities and events that have helped me grow, mature and learn.” Winston added that he has eliminated alcohol from his life.
Winston, who’s thrown for 11,636 yards and 69 touchdowns in three NFL seasons, has started 45 of the Bucs’ past 48 games. He missed three games last season with a shoulder injury and the Bucs finished 5-11, missing the playoffs for the 10th straight season.
He will miss the Bucs’ season opener at New Orleans on Sept. 9 [url=http://www.chiefscheapstore.com/stefan-charles-jersey-cheap]Stefan Charles Jersey[/url] , as well as homes games against defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. He will be eligible to return to the team on Sept. 25, the day after Tampa Bay plays the Steelers.
The league said Winston is also required to have a clinical evaluation and cooperate in any recommended program of therapeutic intervention.
”All members of our organization are expected to conduct themselves in accordance with the personal conduct policy of the NFL,” the Bucs said in a statement. ”We are disappointed that Jameis put himself in a position that has been found to violate the policy and accept today’s decision by the commissioner.”
The suspension will cost Winston $124,411 of his base salary of $705,000 for the upcoming season. The quarterback is set to earn $20.9 million in 2019.
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When veteran Todd Desgrosseilliers was recovering from battle wounds, he went back to a boyhood love: fly fishing. The organization he now leads has 8,500 participants, one of whom was so inspired by Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing that he told Desgrosseilliers: "This program saved my life."
Desgrosseilliers' group for disabled veterans is one of many receiving funding though the Bob Woodruff Foundation , which this week secured an agreement with the NFL to support such initiatives.
"The Bob Woodruff Foundation provides us with a grant each year that supports one of our largest programs, rod building," Desgrosseilliers says. "We had over 900 veterans participate in it as part of a larger core of activities we have that include fly fishing education and outings.
"When our participants are able to come to the meetings [url=http://www.saintscheapstore.com/john-kuhn-jersey-cheap]John Kuhn Jersey[/url] , the rod building provides them with an activity that kind of brings them together, creates camaraderie."
Such pastimes create more than that. For Desgrosseilliers, who learned to fly fish with his great-grandfather and grandfather in Maine, it has been an effective therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder and vertigo he suffered after a traumatic head injury in combat.
There are 222 programs nationwide under the Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing umbrella. They stage local and regional events as well as national destination trips; 400 members will go on a variety of excursions this year, including to Alaska or the Florida Keys.
"It's a group of disabled veterans coming together with folks who care about them, and they are involved in an activity that is fun," Desgrosseilliers says. "We partner our programs with fly fishing organizations to provide the (3,500) volunteers who know how to do the fly fishing basics."
The Woodruff Foundation was founded in 2006 after reporter Woodruff was hit by a roadside bomb while covering the war in Iraq. To date, the foundation has invested more than $55 million to find, fund and shape programs that have empowered veterans, service members and their families.
Its $2 million affiliation with the NFL announced this week will bolster the grant work done by the foundation.
"The NFL is such a prominent American brand and one that has a longstanding commitment to the veteran community [url=http://www.packerscheapstore.com/davante-adams-jersey-cheap]Davante Adams Jersey[/url] ," says Marshall Lauck, the foundation's chief growth and marketing officer. "This is not something new to them; their history with supporting veterans and active military members is strong. This is a time with increased interest on their part in how they can most effectively support the veteran community (through nonprofits).
"Our expertise can be very helpful for the NFL in its goals in supporting these communities."
One program receiving grants from the foundation is Hire Heroes USA. Hire Heroes provides individualized personal assistance to transitioning veterans and military spouses, helping them with interview coaching, resume coaching or finding the right fit for a veteran entering the workforce.
That group recently passed the 25,000 mark for veterans being hired.
Another organization, Bunker Labs, helps veterans with entrepreneurship opportunities.
There are some similarities to NFL players transitioning from the sport into the "real world" and veterans adjusting after leaving the service.
"I think the challenge we had with the NFL was in putting together what is mutually beneficial in finding that common ground," says Anne Marie Dougherty, executive director of the Bob Woodruff Foundation. "We can meet what their organization and brand priorities are. There's not only affirmation of the need in this space, but also an investment in the solution.
"One of the uphill battles we continue to have working in this space is we have been a nation at war for the longest time in our history. And there is a sense for something to get media coverage it can be ... not positive. This is a really important time for us. We will put this money to good use."
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