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Authorities in Tampa, Florida are investigating a vehicle registered to Buccaneers star receiver DeSean Jackson after it was left abandoned on Christmas Eve with weed and hollow-point bullets in it, NFL.com reports.
Officers reported to the scene of a single-car accident on West Shore Blvd. and found an abandoned Chevy Silverado that appeared to strike a tree. The driver fled the scene but left behind 6.3 grams of marijuana and two .38 caliber hollow-point bullets, which are legal in Florida. Possession in Florida of less than 20 grams of weed is a misdemeanor.
I can confirm a Chevy Silverado registered to Bucs' DeSean Jackson was found wrecked and abandoned Sunday night at International Mall. Marijuana, bullets found inside, per police. Police investigating who was driving; Jackson told @nflnetwork that a friend had borrowed his car.
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) December 27, 2017
When Jackson was contacted by the police, he initially refused to cooperate in helping return the alleged driver to the scene.
Denise White, Jackson’s spokesperson, claims DeSean let a friend borrow his car while he was out of town.
“It was a friend of DeSean’s who borrowed his car while he was out of town. 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.”
On Wednesday evening, Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht released a statement regarding the incident.
“We are aware of a one-car accident involving a vehicle registered to DeSean Jackson on the night of Dec. 24. Our understanding is that DeSean has been in contact with authorities and is cooperating with the investigation,” Licht wrote on Twitter.
As Hall of Fame receiver Cris Carter advised players at the NFC rookie symposium in 2014, you should always have a “fall guy” should you encounter legal trouble. Was DeSean Jackson in the car that night or did he enlist a friend to take the fall and entice him with a slither of his three-year, $33.5 million contract? We may never know.