New video has put Oregon assistant coach Ra’Shaad Samples back in the spotlight, and it shows just how messy the April crash case has become.
Samples is facing charges of driving under the influence and reckless driving after backing his Ford F-150 into a parked Dodge Ram in Eugene. Dashcam video from the other vehicle captured the collision, and the footage shows Samples pause briefly before driving away while bystanders shouted at him. The other driver, Steven James Young, then followed him and confronted him.
At the scene, Young said Samples gave the name Deshaun Jackson. Text messages later showed that same alias paired with insurance screenshots. Samples later told investigators he used the name as a joke and said DeSean Jackson is his favorite player.
In a statement released Tuesday to The Oregonian/OregonLive through his lawyer, Samples said, “I did not realize I backed into anything until I pulled away,”
Recorded phone calls added another layer to the case. Samples asked Young not to send the video to head coach Dan Lanning, and he also offered game tickets and cash to cover the damage.
“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 and said he does not remember making 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.”
The University of Oregon athletics department issued a short 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, and fall camp begins this week. Young and some passengers in his vehicle now say they suffered injuries, and they have hired attorneys to pursue the case.
According to the DMV report, no field sobriety test was conducted 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.
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