Leonard Fournette, witness give different accounts of car fire

The TMZ Sports report said that according to the Florida Highway Patrol documents, the witness revealed the allegations soon after Fournette posted about the scene on social media on June 27. Fournette was driving his black Dodge on a Hillsborough County highway, and the witness said he had been going northbound on I-275 when the former Jacksonville Jaguar and Tampa Bay Buccaneer passed him "at a high rate of speed."

"He observed (Fournette's) vehicle and (a) motorcycle to be racing and changing lanes," the TMZ Sports report said. "He stated he observed the vehicles 'racing when fire then erupted from the bottom of' Fournette's car."

The police report added that the witness said the LSU product slowed down and pulled over, but the motorcyclist kept moving.

"Fournette, however, told a much different story to cops... in the report, officers say the NFL star 'stated he has been having problems with the vehicle as of late' -- before it erupted in flames on the 27th," the TMZ Sports report said.

Furthermore, a Florida Highway Patrol spokesperson told TMZ Sports that officers didn't have enough information to move forward with an investigation, saying "No further action is expected at this point."

The No. 4 overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft spent the last three years with the Bucs and earned the nickname "Playoff Lenny" while helping lead Tampa Bay to a title during their run to Super Bowl LV.

Fournette played in a career-high 16 games last season and had his most rushing attempts (189) since 2019, but recorded only 668 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns for a measly 3.5 yards per carry last season. The underwhelming numbers, combined with the ascension of Rachaad White, led to Fournette's release at the end of February.

According to Fournette, he requested the release and there was "no bad blood" between him and the Buccaneers. He further said that Tom Brady's February retirement influenced his decision to ask to be released.