TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will open the season without quarterback Jameis Winston, 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 Bucs drafted Winston No. 1 overall in 2015, despite questions about the young quarterback’s behavior during his college career at Florida State.

Winston, 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.

PANTHERS: The NFL fined former owner Jerry Richardson $2.75 million following its investigation into sexual and racial misconduct in the workplace.

The league said the investigation conducted by former U.S. Attorney Mary Jo White substantiated the allegations against Richardson, that the improper conduct was limited to him and that the team and its ownership failed to report the allegations or any resolution agreements to the league.

The league also said most of the money will go toward organizations that address racial- and gender-based issues in and outside the workplace.

Richardson put the team up for sale after a Sports Illustrated report in December that Richardson made sexually suggestive comments to women and on at least one occasion directed a racial slur at an African-American Panthers scout. The report also stated that the settlements came with non-disclosure requirements forbidding the parties from discussing the details.

Richardson has an agreement to sell the Panthers for a league-record $2.2 billion to hedge fund president and owner David Tepper.

GIANTS: The brother of cornerback Janoris Jenkins had an alleged altercation in his brother’s New Jersey home that led to the death of a 25-year-old man.

In releasing the complaint and the warrant against 34-year-old William H. Jenkins, of Fair Lawn, the Bergen County prosecutor’s office says Jenkins showed extreme indifference to human life in recklessly causing the death of Roosevelt Rene.

William Jenkins has been charged with one count of aggravated manslaughter. He remains in custody in New York. No court appearance has been scheduled.

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