Car Found In Pond, Jacksonville Jaguars Running Back Denard Robinson Asleep Behind The Wheel
Jacksonville Jaguars running back Denard Robinson’s car was found in a pond on Sunday morning, asleep behind the wheel as it was sinking. Police say he had a female passenger with him who was identified as Marissa Staples.
The black Chevy Impala had apparently been driven off the road and into a retention pond near the intersection of Beach Boulevard and Southside. Police stated that Robinson hadn’t been drinking, so there were no DUI charges involved. However, both he and his passenger had been asleep when the car was found in the pond.
When police knocked on the window, Robinson had opened his eyes and then gone back to sleep, according to the official report. Repeated attempts to wake them up resulted in Staples waking up, rolling down the window, and asking, “What’s up?” The officer informed her that the car was sinking in a retention pond and they needed to escape. She attempted to roll the window back up as the officer tried to open the passenger door.
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The officer eventually opened the passenger door and pulled her out of the vehicle because she refused to exit on her own. A similar string of events happened with Denard Robinson, who had been passed out the entire time the officer was interacting with Staples. Robinson eventually woke up and thought he was on the road, also refusing the exit the vehicle. The officer had to turn off the car and remove his seatbelt, attempting to convince the driver to climb out through the passenger door.
Robinson attempted to open the driver’s side door, but it was in the water, as the officer tried to tell him. The police also informed him that he needed to hurry up and leave the vehicle because it was sinking.
Eventually, Robinson and Staples were removed from the car found in the pond, and no charges have been filed.
Jaguars RB Denard Robinson was found asleep in a sinking car early Sunday morning: https://t.co/ploXAbyHXt pic.twitter.com/JvKmmhiBUD
— ESPN (@espn) July 6, 2016
On Tuesday, the Jacksonville Jaguars running back took to Twitter to explain the incident. Robinson said he had been involved in a single car accident due to driving tired so late at night on Saturday, and says he shouldn’t have done that. He mentioned that everybody involved emerged from the situation safe and unharmed. He thanks God for everything, from waking up healthy every morning to having the opportunity he does.
— Denard Robinson (@DenardX) July 5, 2016
There was no mention of where Robinson and Staples had come from prior to ending up in the car found in the pond. No drugs or alcohol appeared to contribute to the situation, so the Jacksonville Jaguars running back was likely being honest when he stated he’d simply been driving too tired.
It’s unknown if the Environmental Protection Agency will fine Denard Robinson for leaving his black Chevy Impala in the retention pond. It could be a potential contributor to pollution and it didn’t end up there as a result of a natural disaster such as flooding. The state might have ordered a tow truck to remove the car found in the pond.
Jaguars fans will likely be very happy to hear that their running back is alive and well following the incident which left his car in a pond, found by police with him asleep in it.
[Image via Sam Greenwood/Getty Images]
