In the wake of Bryan Pata’s former Miami Hurricanes team’s loss in the National Championship, another national news story is brewing. Nearly 20 years before the loss, the Miami Hurricanes were at the center of a college football whirlwind after one of its players was killed.
Here’s what happened on Nov. 7, 2006.
What Happened To Bryan Pata?
According to a Wednesday, Feb. 18 Local10 report, Bryan Pata was killed after practice in Kendall, Florida, just south of Miami. The killing of the 22-year-old NFL Draft prospect happened on Nov. 7, 2006, in Pata’s second season with the Hurricanes after racking up five sacks and 27 total tackles in 20 games of action.
Fire rescue personnel found Pata near his black sedan at The Colony Apartments at 9355 SW 77 Ave with $900 cash in his pocket.
He was buried in a custom beige suit he had planned to wear for the 2007 NFL Draft.
His death set a dark tone for the program, which finished 7-6, two wins fewer than the program’s 9-3 record in 2005.
According to the US Marshals in an Aug. 19, 2021 press release, teammate Rashuan Jones, 35, was taken into custody nearly 15 years later.
The trial is now ongoing in late February, nearly 20 years after, with the defendant facing second-degree murder, per a Friday College Sports Only report on X.
What Is Rashaun Jones’ Defense?
Rashaun Jones has maintained his innocence throughout the court process, choosing to take the accusations to court, where a guilty verdict could give him life in prison.
“Deep down in my heart, I know I am innocent,” Jones said at a pre-trial hearing on Feb. 2. “If that means I have to go to trial to prove my innocence, I would be willing to go there. Dismissal would be the only thing I am willing to accept.”
Jones’ defense attorneys alleged on Tuesday that evidence existed that a Haitian gang’s hitman killed Pata.
The judge sided against the evidence, calling it triple hearsay.
Jones played for the Miami Hurricanes from 2004 through the 2006 season as a wide receiver and special teams player, with a brief usage as a punt returner in 2006.
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