Junior defensive lineman Nicholas Ryan “Nick Booker” Brown and freshman inside linebacker Corey Lucius were both arrested in June and charged with two counts of aggravated robbery, a first-degree felony. According to the Express News, both men were involved in a robbery concerning a PlayStation 5.
The arrests were made four days apart. Brown was arrested by the San Antonio Police Department following an incident involving a tow truck and his mother’s car. According to court records, Lucius was taken into custody by the University of Texas Police Department after a member of the UTSA athletics department informed UTSAPD of Lucius’ whereabouts in the university’s Roadrunner Athletics Center of Excellence facility.
UTSA formally dismissed Booker and Lucius a week before the football team was scheduled to begin their preseason. On August 24, Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Lisa Campos and football head coach Jeff Traylor released a joint statement to announce the dismissal of Booker and Lucius.
“Nick Booker-Brown and Corey Lucius Jr. are no longer members of the UTSA football program. We have high expectations of conduct for all of our student-athletes, coaches and staff, and we will never compromise on those expectations. We are looking forward to the start of preseason practice on July 31 with an excellent group of young men in our football program.”
In his two years at UTSA, Brown earned Honorable Mention All-Conference USA performer at defensive end during his 2022 season and recorded three tackles and one sack while playing in UTSA’s first bowl game at Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl against Marshall. Lucius, a graduate of Tampa Bay Tech High School and this would have been his first collegiate season off the bench with UTSA.
According to court records, both men were bonded out by the same bond company, A-Action Bail Bonds #2. Both men were released with bail set at $75,000 each. They were released under full house arrest as a condition of their bond. The athletes were sentenced to full house arrest and home confinement, and placed under electronic monitoring. They were also released on bail under the agreement not to possess any firearms or associate in any way with the two people who pressed charges against them.
After attending a pre-indictment hearing on June 22, Lucius has begun his pretrial supervision, and the court has waived his GPS fees. Following his arrest, Brown has started his pretrial supervision, amended his bond conditions and has had his GPS removed. Lucius and Brown are awaiting an official indictment by a grand jury.
Committing a felony violates the UTSA student code of conduct, even if committing a felony took place off campus. The code of conduct states that “a student is expected and required to obey federal, state, and local laws; to comply with the Regents’ “Rules and Regulations,” University rules and regulations — including this Policy — and directives issued by an administrative official of the System or the University of Texas at San Antonio in the course of their authorized duties; and to observe standards of conduct appropriate for an academic institution.”
It also states that “any conduct which constitutes a violation of a federal, state, or local law regardless of whether the conduct takes place on or off Campus or results in the imposition of the penalty prescribed by the federal, state, or local law; possession or use of firearms, imitation firearms, explosives, ammunition, hazardous chemicals, or weapons as defined by state or federal law on Campus or other University premises in accordance with the designated exclusionary zones determined by the President of the University as outlined in the Campus Carry Policy, or on any property or in any building or facility owned or controlled by the U.T. System is strictly prohibited unless authorized by the Dean of Students and by federal, state, or local laws.”
This is not the first time two UTSA football players have been arrested and charged with aggravated robbery related to the same incident. In 2012, Toyin Dada and Adefemi Adekeye faced similar charges and were initially suspended from the team before being dismissed from the team.
