Former LSU offensive lineman La'el Collins met with Baton Rouge police homicide detectives for more than an hour Monday at Louisiana State Police headquarters as part of a murder investigation in which Collins' former girlfriend was killed.
Collins did not speak as he left the building accompanied by his attorney, Jim Boren, who also declined to comment about specifics. Collins is not a suspect in the case but has been wanted for questioning for more than a week.
BRPD spokesman Cpl. Don Coppola said his office had no new information to report.
He confirmed that Collins is not a suspect. Police have not publicly said if they have a suspect or a motive in the crime.
Monday's meeting was delayed as Collins waited out the NFL Draft in which he was not picked by any of the 32 teams. Prior to being linked to the investigation, Collins was expected to be one of the top 20 players selected. He is now a free agent but reports have said he will not sign until his name is cleared.
"It went fine; we answered all their questions," Boren said. "La'el is not going to make any comments. I'm not going to have any comments. The investigation is going to continue. La'el is now going to start making an effort to start getting his football career back on track."
When asked if he thought Collins would be cleared of the charges, Boren replied, "Only the police can answer that question. In my mind he's been cleared from the very beginning.
"I think he's not a suspect. He answered all the questions they had. Every question,
we didn't claim the fifth (amendment). We answered every single question. We gave them all the information they asked for. He's ready to get his life back."
Collins' former girlfriend Brittney Mills, 29, was shot to death April 24 after opening the front door of her Baton Rouge home. She died of multiple shots to her torso and her unborn child survived the shooting but died a week later in the hospital. The child's death has also been ruled a homicide.
"I'm really not going to answer any more questions about that. I think the process worked the way it works in many, many cases. We followed the process, he's made his statement, answered all of their questions, provided them with their information and we're moving on."
God you never made 1 mistake....
SeVeN ZeRo (@70LaelCollins) May 1, 2015
Collins hopes to clear his name so he can find an NFL team. Because he was not drafted, he is now a free agent and can sign with the team of his choice. But his salary options are much more limited because of the NFL's collective bargaining agreement.
Undrafted free agents who sign get a standard three-year contract that pays $435,000 in 2015, $525,000 in 2016 and $615,000 in 2017, provided he makes the 53-man roster each year. UDFA's can also renegotiate their deals after two seasons.
