Newly released dashcam footage shows a University of Oregon football coach backing his truck into another vehicle before driving away from the scene of the low-speed crash in an April incident that resulted in a drunk-driving charge.
Ra’Shaad Samples, 31, claims he was unaware of the collision, which is why he drove away after backing his 2026 Ford F-150 into Steven James Young’s Dodge Ram at 2am on April 12. Samples was not arrested at the time but instead cited for misdemeanor Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants (DUII) in lieu of custody.
‘I did not realize I backed into anything until I pulled away,’ Samples said Tuesday in a statement provided to The Oregonian by his lawyer.
Young’s dashcam recorded his low-speed pursuit of Samples through the streets of Eugene, where he successfully flagged down the football coach. Samples is seen pulling through a red light before turning into a parking lot.
The ensuing exchange between the two parties isn’t captured in the footage, but the crash report as well as text messages and recordings of phone conversations between Young and Samples have been reported by The Oregonian.
That reporting includes claims that Samples attempted to buy Young’s silence and later gave a false name, ‘Deshaun [DeSean] Jackson,’ which he now claims he did as a joke.
Ra’Shaad Samples, 31, claims he was unaware of the collision, which is why he drove away after backing his 2026 Ford F-150 into Steven James Young’s Dodge Ram at 2am on April 12
Newly released dashcam footage shows a Oregon football coach Ra’Shaad Samples backing his truck into another vehicle before driving away from the scene of the low-speed crash
After parking, Samples reportedly tried to shake hands with Young, who waved him off and began taking photos of the damage. Young claimed Samples offered him $1,000 to walk away, but he was uninterested in the offer.
‘I was like, no,’ Young told The Oregonian. ‘I was like, “I’ve got kids in the car. I’ve got minors in the car. Let’s do this right. Let’s do this correct.”‘
The two exchanged phone numbers to share insurance information, but after Samples gave ‘Deshaun [DeSean] Jackson’ as his name, Young began to suspect something was amiss.
‘He told me his name was [DeSean] Jackson,’ Young said. ‘Me and my buddy looked it up the next day, and we were like, ‘That’s not him.’
Samples has disputed that version of events.
‘After I pulled over and stopped, I gave the driver my license and insurance,’ Samples told The Oregonian through his attorney. ‘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,’ he added, referring to the former Philadelphia Eagles receiver.
When Young threatened to send video of the fender bender to Oregon head coach Dan Lanning, Samples reportedly asked him not to and later offered football tickets, according to The Oregonian.
‘If I can do something for your family, if there’s a game, if there’s anything I can do bro,’ Samples told Young by phone days later, according to The Oregonian. ‘It would make me feel better if I’ve shown some appreciation, if you ever need it.’
Samples, a Dallas native, previously coached at SMU, among several other schoolsΒ
Samples did not deny offering tickets to Young but instead claimed it’s something he does frequently.
‘While I saw no damage to his vehicle, I offered to pay for any damage,’ Samples told The Oregonian through his attorney. ‘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.’
Regardless, Young emailed Lanning on the morning of April 12 to say he had the entire incident ‘on dashcam,’ while accusing Samples of leaving the scene of the accident.
The Oregonian goes on to report that Samples later called Young, asking him not to share the footage with Lanning.
‘I’m gonna have to explain it and have a conversation with him,’ Samples told Young, according to The Oregonian. ‘But having that emailed to him, he has that. β¦ Giving him that video is telling him he has to do something with it.’
The Daily Mail has sought comment from Samples and Ducks spokespeople.
Samples is a former Oklahoma State and University of Houston wide receiver who has previously worked at Southern Methodist and Arizona State, not to mention the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams.
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