Jags' Robinson denies being under the influence at time of car accident

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Jacksonville Jaguars running back Denard Robinson said his car ended up in a retention pond after a one-car accident earlier this month because he fell asleep while at a stoplight.

Robinson emphasized that he was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the early-morning accident on July 3.

"If that was the case, I would have had a DUI," Robinson said in his first public comments since the accident.

According to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office report, Robinson's Chevy Impala slowly drove through an intersection on the wrong side of the road and ended up in a retention pond shortly after 4 a.m. July 3.

Robinson was found asleep at the wheel of his car while it was slowly sinking into the pond. The 25-year-old Robinson and his passenger, 29-year-old Marissa O. Staples, were unhurt. However, police officers had to tell Robinson multiple times that the car was in the pond and convince him to leave, according to the police report.

The report also stated that officer M.T. Borgert screened Robinson for impairment and determined that Robinson was not impaired and should not be charged with driving under the influence. In addition, it was written on the police report that alcohol and drug tests were not given.

However, Robinson said Thursday he was tested for impairment and he didn't seem pleased with the fact that the report said the police had trouble waking him up and convincing him and his passenger to leave the car.

"You read what you read," Robinson said. "I don't want to go against it. I don't want to say nothing against nobody. I talked to the police already so it's something that I don't really too much care about talking about.

"...They questioned me. They did a lot of questions. They did a lot of tests."

Robinson said Staples is his cousin and they were driving home after checking to see if an area business was open when the accident occurred.

Robinson was not cited at the time. However, Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams on July 7 ordered an investigation into the actions of the officers who responded and Robinson was issued a citation for careless driving on July 14. The investigation is ongoing.

Robinson said he was surprised to receive the citation, which occurred while he was in London for a four-day football academy put on by the team's United Kingdom branch, but he accepted it and said he made a mistake and will deal with the consequences.

"I feel blessed," he said. "It could have been a situation where I couldn't be talking to y'all right now. The situation could have been way worse than that. I could have hurt somebody or killed somebody. I'm truly blessed that nothing happened to nobody. I came off [with] no harm, no scratches or nothing. The passenger [wasn't hurt either].

"I think it's one of those things that open your eyes and say you've got to count your blessings and I understand that."