The last thing the Bucs needed this week was another off-field distraction.
They got one following the release of a police report in which a victim accuses LeGarrette Blount of orchestrating an assault.
The Bucs say they were aware of what happened in September.
“LeGarrette Blount immediately informed the organization of this situation back in September. We have reviewed the incident report and spoken with the police. The Tampa Police Department confirmed that the case is closed,” Buccaneers Director of Communications Jonathan Grella said in a statement to PFT.
Blount’s attorney Ryan Morgan tells Stephen Holder of the St. Petersburg Times that Blount didn’t do anything. Morgan says that when the victim found out who Blount was, he called the Bucs asking for $95,000 or the matter would go public.
They didn’t pay, and the story surfaced Tuesday.
“I spoke to LeGarrette and we rejected it outright because he didn’t do anything wrong,” Morgan said. “We’re not going to pay someone who is just making a money grab. If there’s a claim he needs to address – and I’m not saying that there is – I suggest he do so with the other guys involved.”
Those interested in all the details should check out the Times’ entire breakdown.
It’s hard to know the whole truth here, but we know this much: The police are no longer pursuing the matter because the victim doesn’t want to press charges. The Bucs don’t sound likely to discipline Blount.
Absent another development, Blount doesn’t sound likely to face any lasting punishment stemming from the issue.