The National Football League has suspended Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston for three games as the result of a league investigation surrounding an incident with an Uber driver in the spring of 2016 near Phoenix.

A suspension was first reported as imminent last week by Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.

Winston confirmed his suspension and issued a statement of apology, indicating that he has undergone a number of lifestyle changes.

"First and foremost, I would like to say I’m sorry to the Uber driver for the position I put you in," Winston said in the statement. "It is uncharacteristic of me and I genuinely apologize. In the past 2 1/2 years my life has been filled with experiences, opportunities and events that have helped me grow, mature and learn, including the fact that I have eliminated alcohol from my life."

Winston vowed to keep his conduct as a higher standard than he had been previously.

"I know I have to hold myself to a higher standard on and off the field and that I have a responsibility to my family, community, and teammates to live above the platform with which God has blessed me," Winston wrote. "I apologize to my teammates, the Buccaneers organization and fans for letting them down and for not being able to be out there for the first three games of the season. Although I am disappointed in the NFL’s decision, I understand the NFL’s process, and I embrace this as an opportunity to take advantage of the resources available to help me achieve the goals that I have for myself. I now look forward to putting this behind me and I will continue to work hard every day to be a positive influence in my community and be the best person, teammate and leader I can be.”

Last season, Winston threw for 3,504 yards on 282-for-442 passing with 19 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 13 games.

He is set to enter his fourth season in the NFL after being drafted out of Florida State in 2015 with the first overall selection.

This is the latest in a long line of off-field incidents that have dogged Winston since his collegiate days.

In the fall of 2013, Winston was investigated by a state attorney for an alleged sexual assault of an FSU student. Though Winston was cleared of violating the student code in an FSU hearing, the school was later ordered to pay Winston's accuser nearly $1 million to settle a lawsuit alleging a Title IX violation by the school in the handling of her complaint.

The next year, Winston was issued a citation for stealing crab legs from a supermarket and, as a result, was suspended from FSU's baseball team of which he was a member. Later in 2014, Winston was suspended for an ACC game against Clemson for shouting vulgar comments at an FSU cafeteria.

The Buccaneers have yet to release a statement on the suspension.

Currently, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Ryan Griffin and Allen Austin are the other quarterbacks on the team's roster.