Eddie George Insists: He Was Not Cheating On His Wife!!!

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."

However cops believe Connor was HAMMERED ... because she could barely walk, couldn't count and reeked of booze. George was never accused of any wrongdoing....Maybe because he didn't do anything wrong, Duh!!!