BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) – Bills running back Marshawn Lynch said
Friday he didn’t know he hit anyone while driving his SUV on a
Buffalo street last month and apologized before a traffic court
judge revoked his driver’s license.

Administrative Law Judge Thomas Gagola found Lynch’s behavior
May 31 “constituted a reckless disregard of human life or
property.” He also imposed the maximum ,100 fine and ,50 surcharge
after Lynch pleaded guilty to failure to exercise due care toward a
pedestrian.

Lynch, the Bills’ first-round draft pick in 2007, was driving
his 2008 Porsche Cayenne in the city’s bar district at 3:30 a.m.
when he struck a 27-year-old Ontario woman and kept going.

“It was raining real hard, there was a dancing pedestrian in the
middle of the street,” Lynch, 22, told reporters. “I slowed down to
let her go and continued on my way home. I didn’t know my car had
hit anyone or anything.”

A longer written statement said police officers later came to
his house and removed his car and that he “was in disbelief” when
told it had been in an accident.

“I was certain that my car did not strike the dancing
pedestrian,” Lynch said.

Attorney Michael Caffery called the revocation of Lynch’s
license for an unspecified length of time “a little harsh.”

During the hearing, Police Officer Allan Kasprzak said the woman
Lynch struck, Kimberly Shpeley, suffered a bruised hip and a cut to
her thigh that required seven stitches.

Lynch got a New York driver’s license Thursday, his attorney
said. He previously had a California license.

Lynch’s guilty plea was part of a deal reached last week between
his lawyer and Erie County prosecutors that allowed Lynch to avoid
a criminal charge. Caffery said investigators found that Lynch did
not intentionally leave the scene of an accident, pointing out that
Lynch drove home and parked in his driveway.

“There was no intention on his part to hide his vehicle,”
Caffery said.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, in western New York for a sports
symposium, said the league was monitoring the Lynch case. Under the
NFL’s personal conduct policy, players can be disciplined for
“conduct that undermines or puts at risk the integrity and
reputation of the NFL, NFL clubs or NFL players.”

“From our standpoint,” Goodell said, “we’ll wait and see what
the facts are and then we’ll decide whether it’s a violation or if
it has any involvement in our personal conduct policy.”

The Bills did not immediately respond to a request for
comment.

In the weeks immediately after the accident, investigators grew
frustrated by a lack of cooperation from Lynch and the Bills. That
eventually led Erie County District Attorney Frank Clark to
subpoena three players and at least two Bills officials, including
chief operating officer Russ Brandon, to appear before the grand
jury.

The grand jury was dismissed without hearing testimony once the
agreement was reached.

Lynch, in his statement, said he was following his lawyer’s
advice.

“I regret that this matter has taken some time to resolve,” he
said. “If I had known at the time that my vehicle had struck a
pedestrian, I would have stopped immediately.

“My greatest concerns and well wishes are of course for Ms.
Shpeley. However, I also wish to apologize to my teammates, the
entire Buffalo Bills organization and the Buffalo fans for this
unfortunate accident,” he said.

Shpeley has indicated she is considering filing a lawsuit
against Lynch.