Deadstroke Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 As strict and upright the Bills' leaders seem to be, this may have contributed to Darby's departure. Jun 24, 2018 Share Brandon Banks connected to pending Jameis Winston suspension Former VU football player from high-profile rape case was with NFL QB the night he allegedly assaulted Uber driver authors David Boclair In the four-plus years between when he was charged and when he was convicted of sexual assault for his part in the high-profile case that involved four then-Vanderbilt football players, Brandon Banks apparently made at least one high-profile connection. His lawyer, Mark Scruggs, confirmed to the Tampa Bay Times last week that Banks was with NFL players Jameis Winston and Ronald Darby on a night when Winston was alleged to have assaulted a female Uber driver. However, he refuted the 2015 Heisman Trophy winner’s account of what took place. According to Scruggs, Winston left an Arizona nightclub alone in one car while Banks and Darby left in another. Darby issued a statement in which he said all three left the club in a single vehicle and that nothing happened. No charges were filed, but the NFL reportedly completed an eight-month investigation recently and plans to suspend the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback for the first three games of the coming season. The driver told Buzzfed last fall that Winston “grabbed my crotch” and held on for several seconds. "It appeared that Winston was trying to lay this on Brandon," Scruggs told the newspaper. "They were together that night. They took an Uber to a club, the three of them did, and Brandon said nothing whatsoever happened while the three of them were in the Uber. … For whatever reason, they felt they needed to put (Winston), escort him into an Uber so he could go home on his own. There's two different Uber rides is what we're talking about." Scruggs said Winston was an “acquaintance” of Banks’ and a friend of Darby, then a cornerback with the Buffalo Bills (he is now with the Philadelphia Eagles). Winston and Darby were college teammates at Florida State. Banks and Darby each grew up in Maryland. Banks was the third player convicted in the June 2013 assault of a female student in a Vanderbilt dormitory. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison last August. At the time of the alleged Winston incident, Banks was free on bond. He resumed his college football career at Lane College, where he played for two seasons. He was in Arizona two years ago for offseason training — and hanging out with Winston and others — while his case was still pending. "It appeared that Mr. Winston was trying to deflect responsibility for this," Scruggs said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malazan Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 I suspect this had almost nothing to do with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hapless Bills Fan Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 7 minutes ago, jeremy2020 said: I suspect this had almost nothing to do with it. Agree. I think Darby was traded because he didn't have the skill set McDermott wanted, and because Beane was stockpiling picks and could get something for him. I don't think the WR aspect of the trade worked out like Beane hoped. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plenzmd1 Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 1 minute ago, Hapless Bills Fan said: Agree. I think Darby was traded because he didn't have the skill set McDermott wanted, and because Beane was stockpiling picks and could get something for him. I don't think the WR aspect of the trade worked out like Beane hoped. And he had Gaines coming back from the Rams..better fit in the scheme than Darby. Not so sure on the WR thing..think they are happy as can be Sammy is gone..but agree they wanted to get more out on Matthews and would rather have him and that 3rd round pick then having to trade for KB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaw66 Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 1 minute ago, Hapless Bills Fan said: Agree. I think Darby was traded because he didn't have the skill set McDermott wanted, and because Beane was stockpiling picks and could get something for him. I don't think the WR aspect of the trade worked out like Beane hoped. Darby was known as "The Lookout" for the Winston rape investigation. Although I agree that it's likely that the deal was driven by the factors you list - skill set, picks and filling the receiver hole left by Watkins and Woods, I would be amazed if Darby's involvement in this incident didn't contribute to McBeane's thinking. McBeane want guys who are focused on the right things all the time, not just during team activities, and Darby's focus on other things probably made the decision easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jr1 Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 Gaines overperforming softened the blow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wppete Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 When here Darby seemed like a good guy. Have to be careful with the company you keep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deadstroke Posted June 25, 2018 Author Share Posted June 25, 2018 27 minutes ago, Shaw66 said: Although I agree that it's likely that the deal was driven by the factors you list - skill set, picks and filling the receiver hole left by Watkins and Woods, I would be amazed if Darby's involvement in this incident didn't contribute to McBeane's thinking. McBeane want guys who are focused on the right things all the time, not just during team activities, and Darby's focus on other things probably made the decision easier. I don't know, but it seems to me that the Bills had a pretty good handle on Darby's character and wanted nothing to do with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freddie's Dead Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 Did not know Darby was with Rapeis for the Uber driver episode. What a complete POS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TPS Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 (edited) Someone else just wondered the same thing...https://www.twobillsdrive.com/community/topic/206489-darby-trade/ Edited June 25, 2018 by TPS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Royale with Cheese Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 49 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said: Agree. I think Darby was traded because he didn't have the skill set McDermott wanted, and because Beane was stockpiling picks and could get something for him. I don't think the WR aspect of the trade worked out like Beane hoped. The scouting reports I remember reading about Darby is he sticks to you like glue but has a hard time finding the ball in the air. So a man defense suits him well..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJS Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 25 minutes ago, Deadstroke said: I don't know, but it seems to me that the Bills had a pretty good handle on Darby's character and wanted nothing to do with it. I don't think you should assume anything about his character. He hasn't had any incidents that I know of and seemed like a good kid in the interviews and stuff when he was in Buffalo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeGOATski Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 I think the Bills just don't want players from Florida. People from Florida are weird. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToGoGo Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 If anything, Darby shows himself to be a loyal friend, covering up for Winston when he wasn't even there. If he should be friends with Winston at all, is another question. But old friends are tough to get rid of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deadstroke Posted June 25, 2018 Author Share Posted June 25, 2018 1 minute ago, MJS said: I don't think you should assume anything about his character. He hasn't had any incidents that I know of and seemed like a good kid in the interviews and stuff when he was in Buffalo. Yeah, but one has to consider who his close associates are. You know, birds of a feather, and all that entails. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billieve420 Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 1 hour ago, Hapless Bills Fan said: Agree. I think Darby was traded because he didn't have the skill set McDermott wanted, and because Beane was stockpiling picks and could get something for him. I don't think the WR aspect of the trade worked out like Beane hoped. There were also rumblings about certain guys not buying into the process and being team first guys. I think McDermott made examples of those players by shipping them out of here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chandler#81 Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 This topic is being discussed in another forum on the front page. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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