Retired NFL superstar Eddie George is adamant ... he's JUST FRIENDS with pro golfer Rachel Connor ... despite the fact he was a passenger in her car when she was busted for DUI at 2 AM this week.
George -- who's been married to singer Tamara Johnson since 2004 -- tells TMZ ... Connor was "simply trying to be nice by offering me a ride" Wednesday morning after a golf event in Florida.
George says he "realized that Rachel lived the closest to where I was staying. So she offered to drop me off. I believed her to be competent to drive and not impaired at all."
He was wrong ... allegedly. As TMZ first reported, cops believe Connor was HAMMERED ... because she could barely walk, couldn't count and reeked of booze. George was never accused of any wrongdoing.
Still, George reiterates, "Rachel Connor was simply trying to be nice by offering me a ride."
Here's Eddie's entire statement:
"As part of a two-day charity golf event, a group of us who had played together on Tuesday celebrated at dinner. The group included Rachel Connor."
"After dinner, as everyone left the restaurant together, we realized that Rachel lived the closest to where I was staying. So she offered to drop me off. I believed her to be competent to drive and not impaired at all. We were stopped shortly after we left."
"At first, I hesitated to respond to this story. But I now see that people are willing to think the worst. So my wife, Tamara , and I believe we have to address this."
"Rachel Connor was simply trying to be nice by offering me a ride. No one in our group felt she was impaired or we all would have stopped her from driving."