cheese22":3d2782cl said:
Here's the ESPN player profile:
Pronounced: Lah-ell.Collins could be the first LSU offensive lineman selected in the first round since 1998. Is well-respected and liked by teammates and coaches. A person of high character who is mature and handles his business. Voted team captain in 2014. No off-the-field issues. Credited with 222.5 knockdown blocks in 45-game career. Was raised in a single-parent home by mother Loyetta Collins.
http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/draft/pl ... fresh=true
Big jump to go from this description to murder. Most of the past players who have been linked to violent crimes had histories that were less than sparkling. This guy might be a victim of the paranoia created by some of the previous players.
I have no idea if he had anything to do with the death of his ex-girlfriend, but none of that means a whole lot to me. I am in contact every day with people who had squeaky clean records, families, and great careers who are now spending their time in prison. Many of these people are very bright, and had what seemed on the surface very nice lives. But they did something stupid, and believed that they could get away with it.
They didn't.
The cops saying he is not a suspect means nothing to me as well. This is how they operate in the early stages of an investigation. They're privy to the fact that this young man has a career where he will make millions of dollars in front of him, and they are probably doing all they can to not drag his name through the mud until the facts come out. As someone else pointed out already, Aaron Hernandez was also not a suspect in the Odin Lloyd murder - despite the fact that the authorities knew, via Lloyd's sister, who he was with the night of his murder. The fact that Lloyd was found walking distance from Hernandez's house riddled with bullets probably told them all they needed to know - Hernandez WAS a suspect from the get go, and the prime one at that. Yet, all they told the media was that he had been questioned and was not considered a suspect. I highly doubt the authorities were in the dark about the type of person Hernandez is, as well.
If I had to lean one way, I'd guess that Collins was probably not involved. But this was a kid that was slated to be an early first round pick, and he was passed over. I have to believe that NFL teams know more than we do at this point, and that's why they haven't committed to investing millions in him. Of course, it could also because they are just playing it extremely cautious given what just went down in New England.
Given what we know, which is not much at all at this point, I think the Seahawks should pass. Fair or not, Collins is probably a risk too big to take at this point.
I hope he's not involved and can put this all behind him when he begins his NFL career.