Dolphins' RB Collins Arrested

Miami Dolphins rookie Cecil Collins, who played only six games in college because of legal trouble, was arrested Thursday on charges that threaten his NFL career.

A married couple accused Collins of climbing through a bedroom window into their apartment at about 5 a.m. He was charged with burglary and suspended indefinitely by the Dolphins.

"I just made a mistake," Collins said after being released on $10,000 bond.

The couple said Collins had been annoying the woman for the past two months, repeatedly asking her out even after she told him she was married. The alleged burglary is similar to a felony case that placed Collins on probation in Louisiana, where court records portray him as a sexual predator.

"I'm very disappointed in Cecil's actions," coach Jimmy Johnson said in a statement. "I want to make it clear that the Miami Dolphins organization does not condone the behavior that was reported to us."

Collins was charged with two counts of burglary at an occupied dwelling after being chased out of the apartment of Ronald and Tina Nolte. Collins was arrested a short time later at a nearby apartment he shares with his pregnant girlfriend and their 3-year-old daughter.

Additional charges were possible, Lt. Gary Killam said.

Collins has been sidelined since breaking a leg Nov. 14 against the Buffalo Bills. He wasn't expected to play Sunday against San Diego but hoped to rejoin practice soon.

"I'm feeling 100 percent better," Collins said Wednesday, just hours before his arrest. "I should be back before the season's over."

Now, if authorities determine Collins violated probation, he could face a minimum of several years in prison. The burglary charge is a second-degree felony carrying a possible 15-year prison sentence.

"He has been undergoing regular counseling ever since he joined the Dolphins, and I thought he was making progress," Johnson said. "Unfortunately, one of the problems recently is that he was injured and not with the team on a regular basis."

Police gave this account:

Nolte ran out his front door, found Collins at the back of the apartment building and confronted him. Collins denied entering Nolte's apartment and left.

Nolte's wife called police. When officers arrived, Nolte identified Collins by name as the intruder.

Collins, who also lives in the gated complex five minutes from the team's training complex, first met Mrs. Nolte while working out at a gym, said her attorney, Jim Lewis.

"He kept coming up to her and bothering her," Lewis said.

No weapons were involved in the burglary, police said. Collins was not asked to submit to an alcohol or drug test.

Collins' agents, Jimmy Sexton and Rick Landrum, didn't return phone calls seeking comment.

Collins was charged twice in the summer of 1998 with unauthorized entry at his apartment complex in Baton Rouge, La. Both cases involved female residents, including a 17-year-old who accused Collins of exposing himself and rubbing against her.

Considered a first-round talent, Collins slipped to the fifth round of the April draft because of his problems. He played only four games at LSU and two at McNeese State.

Collins was the sensation of training camp for the Dolphins, but he has since been hampered by injuries and failed to upgrade Miami's chronically feeble rushing attack. In eight games, he rushed for 414 yards and two touchdowns.

On Wednesday, after watching a tape of Miami's preseason game against San Diego, Johnson raved about how Collins played before his injuries.

"We had forgotten just what quickness he did have," Johnson said. "But that's a long time ago."

Terms of Collins' probation require him to perform 300 hours of community service, and he has totaled nearly 100 hours since joining the Dolphins in April, said Stu Weinstein, the Dolphins' security investigator. Collins has worked on housing construction projects, talked to youth groups and visited hospitals. He also attended regular counseling sessions.a

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