Oregon had to deal with the fallout from an alleged DUI incident involving its running backs coach, Ra’Shaad Samples, during the offseason. While the matter is still in court, Dan Lanning said last week that the program handled it internally while not disclosing what specific action was taken. Now, Samples has addressed the matter himself.
“Back in April, I made some decisions that I regret and that I wish I could take back, right?” Samples said this speaking to the media after Day 7 of the team’s fall practice. “And they were addressed back in April. And Coach Lanning held me accountable. I have to take full accountability of that, and I continue to take full accountability of that.”
“And it’s just important that I continue to grow and earn those guys’ trust in the locker room, grow my co-workers’ trust, and grow the trust of the people here in this building. And, other than that, man, I’m just continuing to push those guys every single day.”
In April, Samples was alleged to have been involved in a traffic incident in Oregon. According to reports from The Oregonian, the incident happened on April 12 around 2:00 a.m., near Willamette and West Broadway in Eugene. Samples allegedly backed his Ford F-150 into a parked car, a Dodge Ram that belonged to Steven James Young. A dashcam video showed Samples driving off after the incident.
Young observed the impact on his truck and pursued Samples to Olive Street and 7th Avenue. After Young caught up with Samples and confronted him, he allegedly attempted to pay Young off with $1,000. But he refused the money, noting that he had minors in the car.
DMV reports noted that there were no serious injuries sustained during the clash, and no sobriety test was conducted to confirm that Samples was under the influence. To complicate matters, when Samples was asked about his identity, he called himself another name: DeSean Jackson, the former Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver.
He revealed this to Young via text while sharing his USAA insurance information, saying he did so for fun. When narrating the information, he admitted that Jackson was his favorite player.
“After I pulled over and stopped, I gave the driver my license and insurance,” Samples told the outlet. “I gave him my information that included my name. He kept asking me, ‘Who are you? Who are you?’ He had my name. I got a little frustrated, and I gave him a cheeky response. ‘DeSean Jackson.’ Jackson is my favorite football player.”
The news reached the program after Samples asked Young to desist from reporting the incident and offered him football tickets and $2,500. Declining the offer, Young sent the dashcam video to head coach Dan Lanning. He appeared in Eugene Municipal Court on July 20 and will now reappear on August 25.
Young and Oregon’s reaction to Samples’ incident
Samples was hired by coach Dan Lanning in Oregon in 2024 after spending one year at Arizona State as the passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach following Kenny Dillingham’s hire. After his charges were confirmed, a satisfied Young commented on Samples’ actions.
“I don’t think he’s a bad guy,” Young said. “I think he made a terrible decision. I think since he made that decision, he’s just been trying to cover it all up. And that’s not what you do when you’re teaching young adults to be men.”
There is no public knowledge of how the program handled the case. However, Dan Lanning confirmed that the program took the matter “very seriously” from the moment they were made aware of it back in April. “There are accountabilities that are required, and they were required in this moment,” Lanning said.