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College football players jailed in massive gambling scandal

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What started off as a wager over a game of NBA 2K18 ended with an alleged armed robbery and four arrests.

Among those arrested last week were Kennesaw State University football players Akebren Ralls and Jai’len Edwards. Ralls was charged with armed robbery, misdemeanor gambling and maintaining a disorderly house, according to WSB-TV‘s Matt Johnson.

Both players have since been dismissed from the team.


Ralls is accused of running an illegal gambling house in which he arranged for victims to place bets on who would win head-to-head games of NBA 2K18.

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According to The Atlanta-Journal Constitution, victims were invited over to the house, where they played the video game.

Then two other men, Issiah “Swipe” Hightower and Justin “Pimp Juice” Mosley, were allegedly let into the house by Edwards.

Hightower and Mosley, both of whom were armed with semi-automatic pistols, allegedly ordered the victims to take off their clothes, get on the ground and hand over their money.

Witnesses said Edwards acted as a lookout while Hightower and Mosley robbed the victims.

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Those three men are accused of taking $3,700, an iPhone 7 plus, a victim’s wallet and a pair of Air Jordan Retros. Witnesses told police they then left the scene in a Chevrolet Camaro.

Per the police report acquired by The AJC, Ralls was asleep in the home until he heard the commotion. He ended up confronting Edwards about the incident but “brushed it off and thought it was a joke.”

The two football players were arrested Wednesday, while Hightower and Mosley were arrested Friday. Police were able to find Hightower and Mosley after a ping on the former’s phone led them to his Atlanta apartment.

KSU’s athletic director, Milton Overton, issued a statement about the arrests of the now-former players.

“We are deeply disappointed in the actions of these two young men,” said Overton. “We are one team and one KSU. As such, it is a privilege to compete in intercollegiate athletics at Kennesaw State and we expect our student-athletes to represent the University, alumni, and supporters with the class, honor and integrity they deserve.”

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A KSU student said he was surprised by the serious nature of the allegations.

“I kind of expect it to happen every now and again but not on the level that it happened this time,” said student Joe Sylvester.

Edwards, a native of Georgia, was a freshman defensive back on the team. Ralls, one of the team’s best defensive players, was in his junior season. He was named the Big South Defensive Player of the Week in October and helped KSU achieve a 12-2 record this season, which was their third at the FCS level.

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Ross Kelly has been a sportswriter since 2009.
Ross Kelly has been a sportswriter since 2009 and previously worked for ESPN, CBS and STATS Inc. A native of Louisiana, Ross now resides in Houston.
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