What caused Leonard Fournette's fiery car accident? Witness reveals ex-Bucs star's high-speed shenanigans
New police reports revealed that Leonard Fournette was driving at high speed before his vehicle burned on June 27.
TMZ Sports first reported that the one-time Super Bowl champion drove like a competitive racer northbound on I-275 in Tampa Bay before the incident.
Documents from the Florida Highway Patrol revealed that a witness shared that Fournette’s black Dodge allegedly ran past his vehicle at an alarming speed.
After observing the vehicle, the witness concluded that the driver was racing with a motorcycle rider while haphazardly switching lanes. Then, fire erupted from the bottom of Fournette’s car. The running back had no choice but to abandon the vehicle as the flames engulfed his vehicle.
The witness also told the authorities that Leonard Fournette pulled over, but the motorcycle kept on going.
Meanwhile, the former LSU standout had his version of how his vehicle got roasted while cruising through Hillsborough County. He mentioned that he was having performance problems with his vehicle lately before a fire consumed it last month.
After the incident, Fournette posted an Instagram video of the aftermath with the caption:
“Man it was one of those days today, but I would like thank God, my car caught on fire while I was driving, But I’am still blessed 🙏❤️”
He captured his Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat to share the damage’s extent. The local fire department was quick to respond and extinguished the flame quickly.
Frank Clark, Jalen Ramsey, Stevan Ridley, and Jonathan Stewart are some NFL players who expressed relief that Leonard Fournette was safe.
A spokesperson from the Florida Highway Patrol said that officers cannot conduct further investigation at this point because they don’t have enough information. Therefore, they cannot press charges against Fournette if he is guilty of what the witness described.
Leonard Fournette is still without an NFL team
That Fournette is still a free agent shows how the league has devalued the running back position.
Aside from him, Dalvin Cook and Ezekiel Elliott remain free agents as training camps are fast approaching.
Leonard Fournette won Super Bowl LV with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was a key performer on offense during the 2020 playoffs, finishing with 448 yards and four touchdowns in four games.
He played for two more years with the Buccaneers, going past 1,000 all-purpose yards in each of those seasons.
Unfortunately, the Buccaneers released Leonard Fournette this offseason. Rachaad White, Chase Edmonds, Ke’Shawn Vaughn, and Patrick Laird are the remaining running backs in Tampa Bay’s depth chart.
Spotrac reveals that Fournette has earned $35.7 million in six NFL seasons.