Page 22 - Florida Sentinel 11-30-18

Sports
Jameis Winston Settles Sexual Assault Lawsuit With Uber Driver
Carolina Panthers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Jameis Winston has reached a settlement in the lawsuit filed by a woman iden- tified as “Kate P.,” an Uber driver who accused Winston of groping her during a ride in March 2016, according to a no- tice of settlement filed in Ari- zona court on Monday.
This is the second sexual assault-related lawsuit that Winston has settled within the last few years, after he and Erica Kinsman settled her sexual battery suit against Winston and his defamation lawsuit against Kinsman in 2016.
In the just-settled lawsuit, Kate P. said that, after she picked him up for an Uber ride,
Winston was suspended for the first three games of this season after the NFL con- cluded that he “violated the Personal Conduct Policy by touching the driver in an inap- propriate and sexual manner without her consent.” He’s been on and off the bench since then, but played the en- tirety of the Bucs’ 27-9 win over the 49ers on Sunday. He’ll become a free agent after the 2019 season.
Details of the settlement have not been disclosed. Ac- cording to the notice filed in court, both sides “are in the process of finalizing a settle- ment agreement but need ap- proximately 10 days to complete this process.”
Leonard Fournette Suspended One Game, Will Sit Out Vs. Colts
LEONARD FOURNETTE
Jacksonville Jaguars run- ning back Leonard Four- nette lost the appeal of his one-game suspension and will miss Sunday's game against the Indianapolis Colts.
Fournette was suspended following his ejection for fight- ing with Buffalo Bills defensive end Shaq Lawson on Sunday.
The NFL said Fournette violated its unsportsmanlike conduct and unnecessary roughness rules. Lawson was also ejected after the incident in Buffalo's 24-21 win, but no dis- cipline was announced.
After Sunday's game, Fournette said he regretted leaving the Jaguars' sideline to get involved in the skirmish. Fournette is one of the Jaguars' three offensive cap- tains, and if he does not play, none of them will play against the Colts. Center Brandon Linder is out for the year with a knee injury, and Marrone benched quarterback Blake Bortles in favor of backup Cody Kessler. Marrone said he wasn't considering stripping Fournette of his captaincy be- cause of the fight and punish- ment.
Buccaneers Sunday
The Washington Redskins claimed linebacker Reuben Foster off waivers from the San Francisco 49ers on Tues- day, three days after he was arrested on a charge of misde- meanor domestic violence.
Foster was subsequently placed on the commissioner's exempt list, meaning he can- not practice or attend games but can be at the team facility on "a reasonable basis" for workouts, meetings and other permitted non-football activi- ties.
The NFL will continue to
REUBEN FOSTER
review the matter. Washington's decision to
claim Foster was not unani- mous, a source said. And there is no guarantee Foster will ever play for the team.
JAMEIS WINSTON
Winston “placed his fingers between her legs and pressed them firmly against her vagina over her yoga pants” while they were waiting for food at a drive-through. Winston has denied the allegations, but apologized to the driver in July for “the position he put her in,” while calling the incident “a learning experience.”
Let the battle of the big- bodied quarterbacks begin. Besides Big Ben, Cam New- ton and Jameis Winston are the biggest in the league, and arguably two of the most mobile quarterbacks around.
Fresh off of a lost in which Christian McCaffrey went off in the passing and rushing attack, the Panthers will look to capitalize and gain some real momentum toward their wildcard push. No one in their right mind believes they can knock off the New Orleans Saints and they face them twice in the upcoming weeks, so this win is very important to the Panthers.
The Bucs will look to play the part of spoiler as their playoff hopes are likely already over.
The Buccaneers have the best offense in the league ac- cording to yardage gained, mostly due to their outstand- ing passing attack which is also tops in the league. They really struggle on the ground though, currently ranked 26th in the league. Their defense leaves a bit to be desired as well, as they find themselves in the basement of the league at 27th best. The Panthers, though, are a much more bal- anced team. They enter this game as the third best rushing team in the NFL. Their pass- ing stats, however, have them stacked up as the 21st best.
JAMEIS WINSTON AND CAM NEWTON
Despite being in the bottom third of the league in passing yardage, their total offensive production is 12th best in the league, and their defense is also above average, coming in at 14th best.
Winston’s time on the bench has certainly looked to be paying off. To make his re- turn to the starting role, he played a near-flawless game against the 49ers last week. He looked fluid and under con- trol, made some plays outside of the pocket, and extended plays to create some monster plays which ultimately helped turn the momentum of the game. For the Panthers, it is all about Christian McCaffrey.
If he can do what he did Sunday, they will be a tough out, no matter what participa- tion they get from their receiv- ing corp. McCaffrey rushed and caught for over 100 yards. He was, by far, their most pro- ductive offensive weapon. The game starts at 1 p.m. on FOX.
Vs. Tampa Bay
At Raymond James
Reuben Foster Claimed By Redskins
Free-Agent CB Sean
Smith Calls Suspension
For Rest Of Season 'Fair'
SEAN SMITH
Free-agent cornerback Sean Smith tweeted "fair is fair" after he was suspended for the rest of the season by the NFL earlier this week.
Smith had gone unsigned since he was released early from prison in August after serving five months of his one- year sentence for pleading
guilty to a felony assault charge.
Smith, 31, was sentenced to one year in prison and five years' probation when he agreed to plead guilty on March 13 to the felony assault charge. A charge of aggravated battery was dismissed.
Prosecutors said Smith beat his sister's boyfriend after the man tried to intervene in an argument between Smith and his sister. They said he stomped on the man's head, causing "serious bodily in- jury."
The Oakland Raiders re- leased Smith a day before he formally pleaded guilty.
PAGE 14-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2018