Former UT defensive lineman now charged in Xbox theft
Not long after Tennessee offensive lineman Coleman Thomas was cleared in the alleged theft of an Xbox, a former Tennessee defensive lineman has been charged.
Former Volunteer Michael Sawyers is now facing felony theft charges after being identified as a suspect. According to the Knoxville News-Sentinel, UT police obtained the charge on April 8 against Sawyers. He has not been arrested.
Thomas was initially charged with theft after he pawned an Xbox, three games and a controller at a GameStop. According to his lawyer, Thomas didn't know the items were stolen and the charges against him were subsequently dropped. The items had allegedly been stolen from a campus dorm.
Thomas told authorities a former member of the football team had asked him to pawn the items. He also said that former Vol had a video gaming system the men had played on so he assumed the one he pawned was owned by the former teammate. Thomas gave the cash from the sale of the items to the former Vol, records state.
Sawyers is not identified as the former Volunteer. He was dismissed from the team earlier in the year for a violation of team rules. As a freshman in 2014, he played in four games and had two tackles. He was a four-star recruit in the calss of 2014 and the No. 7 player in the state of Tennessee according to Rivals.
Thomas was reinstated to the football team after the charges were dropped.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
