DeSean Jackson and the Buccaneers haven’t had much to celebrate this NFL season, and unfortunately, it sounds like things just got even worse for Jackson, who currently finds himself at the center of a bizarre legal situation even though he may not have had anything to do with it.
According to reports, a truck registered to Jackson was involved in a single-vehicle crash about three miles from the Buccaneers facility in Tampa, Florida on Christmas Eve just after 8 p.m. The truck was then abandoned by whoever was driving it, and when police arrived, they found about six grams of marijuana and two .38 caliber hollow-point bullets inside of it. Police contacted Jackson about the accident, and he showed up at the scene to answer questions about what had taken place. But he denied any involvement in the crash and said that he was not driving the vehicle at the time of the accident.
A spokesperson for Jackson released a statement on Wednesday and denied any wrongdoing on the part of Jackson. She claimed one of Jackson’s friends was behind the wheel of the truck when it crashed. She also denied that the marijuana or bullets belonged to Jackson.
"It was a friend of DeSean’s who borrowed his car while he was out of town without his knowledge," the spokesperson said. "None of what was in the car was his, obviously. He’s dealing with the person that was using it without his knowledge privately. The incident is being handled."
NFL.com is reporting that Jackson initially refused to provide the name of his friend to police. But he later agreed to name the person who was driving the vehicle after facing additional questioning. As of Wednesday night, no arrests had been made in connection with the crash, and police told ESPN they had not yet questioned the person named by Jackson.
Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht released a statement on Wednesday night acknowledging that the team was aware of the incident involving Jackson. He also revealed that Jackson "is cooperating with the investigation."
Jackson himself has not yet spoken publicly about the crash, but he did post this to Instagram shortly after news about it broke.
Jackson is finishing his first season with the Buccaneers. He has 50 catches for 668 yards but missed his first game of the season last week due to an ankle injury. The Buccaneers are just 4-11 so far this season and sit in last place in the NFC South.
