Former Nebraska RB arrested for murder.
[url]http://msn.foxsports.com/cfb/story/8603030/Ex-Nebraska-RB-Co llins-arrested-on-murder-charge?FSO2&ATT=MA [/url]
"Thunder" Collins
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Former Nebraska running back Thunder Collins was arrested Wednesday, nearly 24 hours after a shooting left one person dead and another seriously wounded.
Collins was in police custody and faced murder charges, Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine said. Also charged was 21-year-old Ahmad Johnson. Both men face first-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder and felony weapons charges.
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Timothy Thomas was killed about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday in a midtown Omaha neighborhood. Around the same time, a white SUV hit several cars nearby (my editorial comment-I didn't realize driverless SUVs run rampant in Omaha, such is the idiocy of the war against big vehicles). Police found Marshall Turner  who'd been hit by gunfire  inside. He was in critical condition Wednesday at an Omaha hospital.
Police also arrested Karnell Burton on suspicion of criminal homicide, attempted first-degree murder, and weapons charges. As of late Wednesday afternoon, Burton had not been charged, Kleine said.
Collins, 29, played for the Cornhuskers from 2000-02. He quit the team after being suspended four games for an undisclosed NCAA rules violation, and has had a string of run-ins with police.
Eric Crouch, the 2001 Heisman Trophy winner who played with Collins at Nebraska, said Collins seemed to be doing well when the two bumped into each other at the Ultimate Fighting Championship matches in Omaha last week.
"Thunder always has been a personable guy, a likable guy, so this comes as a shock," Crouch said. "You can be very likable and have your own personal issues."
Crouch said Collins told him that he was working in promotions for an Omaha company and hoped to hook on with a Canadian Football League team next year.
Ohio coach Frank Solich, Nebraska's head coach when Collins played for the Huskers, said he hasn't had contact with Collins since 2002. He declined additional comment.
Collins, from Los Angeles, was a junior college All-American in 1998 who was touted by recruiting analysts as the next in a long line of great Nebraska running backs. However, he never lived up to his hype. His best season was in 2001, when he played in 12 games, ran for 647 yards and five touchdowns and caught 19 passes for 189 yards.
Collins' highlight came on the 2001 season's signature play, when he pitched the ball to Mike Stuntz on a reverse play that resulted in Stuntz's 63-yard touchdown pass to Crouch against Oklahoma.
In 2006, Collins was sentenced to 10 days in jail after he pleaded no contest to obstructing an Omaha police officer. Witnesses said Collins had been involved in a shooting, and police found marijuana in his pocket.
In 2003, he was acquitted of assault and burglary charges in Corvallis, Ore. Those charges stemmed from his alleged confrontation with an Oregon State football player and Collins' ex-girlfriend.
The previous year, Collins pleaded guilty to disturbing the peace in Lincoln. That was part of an agreement with prosecutors to drop two assault charges connected to alleged fights with the same woman in Lincoln.
Here's another article about him from earlier this year.
[url]http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2008/01/06/huskerextra/f ootball/doc47801ece72442852781530.txt [/url]
