SAN RAMON, Calif. — Charges will not be filed against the driver suspected of fatally hitting longtime NFL assistant coach Greg Knapp two months ago, prosecutors said Friday.
According to a statement from Contra Costa County prosecutors, there was insufficient evidence to establish criminal negligence on the part of the driver, the East Bay Times reported.
Knapp, 58, an assistant with the New York Jets, died July 22 from injuries he sustained after a car struck him while he was riding his bicycle in Northern California four days earlier. A driver swerved into the bike lane and hit him, police said.
The driver, a 22-year-old man from Danville, remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators, the Times reported. At the time, police said neither alcohol nor drugs appeared to be a contributing factor to the crash. Investigators also said the driver was not distracted at the time of the collision, the newspaper reported.
Police in San Ramon concluded that the primary cause of the collision was inattention by the driver, according to the Pleasanton Weekly, but prosecutors determined the actions did not rise to a criminal level under the law.
>> New York Jets assistant Greg Knapp dies from injuries in bicycle accident
“The San Ramon Police Department’s investigation has concluded and it was submitted for review. We received official word from the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office that they will not be filing criminal charges on the driver involved in the collision,” San Ramon police Lt. Tami Williams said in a statement.
The driver’s name will not be revealed, Williams said.
“The driver’s identity will not be released as a matter of privacy as he is not being criminally charged,” Williams told the Weekly.
Knapp, who joined the Jets in January as the team’s passing game specialist, spent 26 years as an NFL assistant for several teams. He spent the last 22 years either as a quarterbacks coach or offensive coordinator, according to the Jets’ website.
Knapp began his career as an NFL assistant in 1995 with the San Francisco 49ers and coached there until 2003. He also coached for the Atlanta Falcons from 2004 to 2006, and the Oakland Raiders in 2007-08 and 2012. Knapp spent four seasons in Denver, first as the Broncos quarterbacks coach in 2013 and then the team’s passing game coordinator (2014-16). Knapp helped Denver to two Super Bowls, including a victory in Super Bowl 50.
Knapp also was the offensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks in 2009 and the quarterbacks coach for the Houston Texans (2010-11).
When Knapp was out of the NFL in 2017, he coached the San Ramon Valley High junior varsity softball team that included his stepdaughter, the Times reported.