Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette was involved in a serious and scary car accident late last month.
On June 27th, the car that Fournette was driving burst into flames and was completely destroyed. Luckily, Fournette was able to escape the car and posted pictures of the incident to his Instagram account to let everyone know he was okay.
Initially Fournette told police that he was having trouble with is vehicle, which he implied led to the accident. That’s not the story that an alleged witness told Florida Highway Patrol, though, who made some much more damning claims.
New details emerge about what led to Leonard Fournette’s fiery car accident
According to TMZ, a witness approached Florida Highway Patrol after the accident to report that Fournette had been speeding and racing in the moments leading up to his car bursting into flames.
“The witness, according to the report, then stated ‘he observed the vehicle and motorcycle to be racing and changing lanes’. He stated he observed the vehicles "racing when fire then erupted from the bottom of" Fournette's car,” TMZ reported.
For what it’s worth, it doesn’t sound like Fournette is facing any charges after these new details have come to light. The Florida Highway Patrol stated that there wasn’t any further action expected at this time in regards to whether or not there will be an investigation into Fournette’s role in the crash.
The Buccaneers released Fournette earlier this offseason as part of a cost-cutting strategy to fix a $55 million salary cap bill. It was a mutual parting of the ways, as Fournette reportedly requested a release after Tom Brady announced his retirement in February and the team granted his wish.
Fournette remains a free agent, though, having not been able to find a deal elsewhere in the league amid a very tough market for running backs. Ezekiel Elliott and Dalvin Cook both remain free agents, which not only highlights how difficult it is to find a deal but specifically saturates the market when it comes to Fournette finding a deal.
He was an instrumental part of the Bucs Super Bowl run on 2020, though, which is evidence enough for potential contenders that he could be a valuable addition.