Report: FSU players in hit-and-run

Two Florida Stateplayers -- starting cornerbacks P.J. Williams and Ronald Darby -- were involved in a hit-and-run accident in October that resulted in two traffic tickets, the New York Times reported Friday.

It is the latest in a series of incidents involving Florida State players and Tallahassee law enforcement officials.

According to the Times, Williams, driving with a suspended license, hit a car off-campus at 2:37 a.m. on Oct. 5 -- just hours after the Seminoles had beaten Wake Forest 43-3. Both cars were totaled. The paper reported that Williams abandoned the wrecked car and fled, along with Darby and another unidentified passenger, before returning to the scene "approximately" 20 minutes later.

The Times said Williams, the most valuable player in last season's BCS National Championship, was not tested for alcohol or even asked by Tallahassee police if he had been drinking prior to the accident, and that two ranking officers from the Florida State University police department, who lacked jurisdiction, arrived on the scene but failed to report the incident to the school.

Florida State told the Times that the officers' role was too minor to require a report or even to enter in their online police log.

The Times reported that -- while the case was initially investigated as a hit-and-run accident -- Williams was given only two traffic tickets totaling $392 in fines, which later didn't even show up in the Tallahassee Police Department's public online database because of a "technical glitch," according to police. The fines remain unpaid and Williams' license remains suspended, the paper reported.

Tallahassee police chief Michael DeLeo told the Times that "no one should be shown any favoritism" and that an investigation would be forthcoming.

Florida State would not cooperate with the Times' investigation by failing to make anybody available for interviews.

University president John Thrasher strongly denounced the article in a statement sent to university supporters Friday. He said there was no information included in the report that supported any of its assertions.

"We are disturbed that a newspaper with a distinguished reputation would print such a speculative story,'' Thrasher said in his statement.

Eileen Murphy, a New York Times spokeswoman, said the newspaper stands by the story.

The Seminoles, ranked No. 3 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, play Miami on Saturday.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.