Ex-NFL players Robinson, Bray granted bond by El Paso federal judge on pot charges
EL PASO, Texas — Two former NFL players were walking free on bond Friday after federal agents said they caught them with over 150 pounds of marijuana at the Sierra Blanca checkpoint.
A federal judge in El Paso granted bond Friday to former Cleveland Browns starting offensive tackle Greg Robinson and former Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Jaquan Tyreke Bray after they were arrested on drug trafficking charges.
Robinson, 27, of Thibodaux, Louisiana, and Bray, 26, of La Grange, Georgia, appeared before a U.S. magistrate judge. Bray was released on a $10,000 secured bond, meaning he had to put up money to the court. Robinson was released on a $25,000 signature bond, a legal promise to appear in court that does not require payment.
Both are charged with with conspiracy to possess marijuana with intent to distribute it. If convicted, both could be sentenced to up to 20 years in federal prison.
Drug Enforcement Administration agents said that Robinson, Bray and an unidentified third person were hauling 157 pounds of marijuana through a remote section of west Texas en route from Los Angeles to Louisiana in an SUV. When they passed a Border Patrol agent with a drug-sniffing dog, on Interstate 10, the criminal complaint says, the dog detected the scent of marijuana.
The complaint says the agent radioed ahead to the patrol’s checkpoint in near Sierra Blanca, 83 miles southeast of El Paso. The checkpoint patrol stopped and inspected the vehicle, finding several large duffel bags containing vacuum-sealed black bags containing what tested positive as marijuana, the complaint stated. Also found were glass jars and packaging equipment, along with $3,100 in cash.
Agents said driver of the car was not charged, in part because he shared text messages from Robinson offering money to claim ownership of the marijuana. The driver, who had run errands for Robinson in the past, was identified as a foreign citizen with legal residency.
Robinson’s attorney, Theresa Caballero, said Friday she was in the early stages of preparing his defense and declined to comment further. A lawyer representing Bray did not immediately return a request for comment.
Robinson will be allowed to travel outside his home state of Louisiana to other states including Georgia, where his mother and siblings live, and Ohio, where Caballero suggested he was working or pursuing work.
The Browns recently informed Robinson’s representatives they did not intend to re-sign him as a free agent. He had signed with the Cleveland Browns in 2018. The former Auburn University standout was drafted second overall in 2014 by the St. Louis Rams. Robinson battled inconsistency while starting 14 games last season for the Browns, who had a disappointing 6-10 season. He was benched for one game and missed another with a concussion.
Bray was picked up by the Colts in 2015 as an un-drafted wide receiver and left the NFL in 2017. In 2019, he played in the Canadian Football League for the the Montreal Alouettes.
The men also played college football together at Auburn.
