A newly surfaced video has put Oregon assistant coach Ra’Shaad Samples back in the spotlight after an April crash in Eugene that has already led to DUI and reckless driving charges.
The footage shows Samples leaving the scene after backing his Ford F-150 into a parked Dodge Ram. Dashcam video from the other vehicle captured the collision, and bystanders can be heard yelling as Samples pauses briefly before driving off. The other driver, Steven James Young, then followed him and confronted him.
Samples said Tuesday that he did not realize he had struck anything at the time.
“I did not realize I backed into anything until I pulled away,” Samples said Tuesday in a statement released to The Oregonian/OregonLive via his lawyer.
Young said Samples gave the name Deshaun Jackson at the scene, and text messages later showed the same alias along with insurance screenshots. Samples later told investigators he used the name as a joke and said DeSean Jackson is his favorite player.
Recorded phone calls also show Samples asking Young not to share the video with head coach Dan Lanning. In those calls, he offered game tickets and cash to help cover the damages.
“If I can do something for your family, if there’s a game, if there’s anything I can do bro,” Samples told Young in the phone call in the days after the incident. “It would make me feel better if I’ve shown some appreciation, if you ever need it.”
Samples said he regularly gives tickets to people he meets, though he denied remembering any specific ticket offer in this case.
“While I saw no damage to his vehicle, I offered to pay for any damage,” he said via his lawyer. “I don’t remember offering him any game tickets.
I routinely give people game tickets. If I meet someone who wants to go to a game, I give them tickets.
I don’t believe I’ve ever told someone no.”
University of Oregon athletics released a brief response.
“We take these matters seriously and have taken appropriate action,” UO athletics said.
Samples is still listed on the team website as assistant head coach and running backs coach. Fall camp begins this week.
Young and some passengers in his vehicle now say they were injured and have hired attorneys to pursue the case. According to the DMV report, no field sobriety test was done at the scene. Eugene police are still investigating.
Samples appeared in court for an initial hearing in July, and his next court date is set for late August.
In Other News...
Maryland Just Lost A Starting Corner At The Worst Time
Marylands secondary took a hit at a time when the margin for error is already thin. Head coach Mike Locksley said cornerback Dontay Joyner has left the football program, leaving the Terrapins to reshuffle a position group that had counted on his experience and presence on the outside.
Joyners exit comes after a stretch of legal trouble, and it leaves Maryland leaning harder on the rest of its corners to stabilize the room. Jamare Glasker and Amari Jackson, both viewed as NFL Draft prospects, now become even more important in a defense that has to keep moving forward without one of its expected starters. [Read more 🡒]
Maryland's Path To March Just Got Much Clearer For Buzz Williams
Maryland has its non-conference slate set, giving Buzz Williams a first real roadmap for how this season can be shaped before Big Ten play takes over. The Terrapins will play seven home games at the Xfinity Center, spend two more games in the DMV area, and head to Las Vegas for the Players Era Festival during Thanksgiving week, a schedule that mixes local familiarity with a showcase trip designed to tell a lot about this team early.
The season opens Nov. 2 against Bucknell, with Georgetown and Virginia also on the list of notable early tests. For Williams, the calendar now offers a clearer chance to build rhythm, stack results and learn what this roster looks like against different kinds of opponents before the grind of league play arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Maryland Is Betting Big On Malik Washington In A New Offense
Maryland enters fall camp with a clear offensive makeover, and everything is being built around sophomore quarterback Malik Washington. Clint Trickett and Mike Locksley have spent the offseason shaping a system that leans into tempo, spacing and a more aggressive feel with the ball, while also making better use of the talent around Washington. The Terps have skill-position depth that should help the scheme breathe, but the real center of gravity is the young quarterback, whose growth as a playmaker and leader will be a major storyline all season.
Washingtons rise matters because this is more than a cosmetic change in how Maryland wants to look on offense. The staff believes the structure can maximize his physical tools and keep defenses from dictating terms, and the hope is that the new approach gives the Terps a steadier identity as they move toward the opener. There is still plenty to sort out in camp, but the direction is clear: Maryland is betting that Washington can carry more of the load in a system designed to get him the ball, keep the pace up and create easier answers for everyone else. [Read more 🡒]