Jaguars tackle takes several gun shots, critically ill

Jaguars player Richard Collier was shot several times outside a Riverside apartment early Tuesday and police said his injuries were life-threatening.

If you are a fan of the game of the Jaguars in foot ball then this news is going to be tough on you as their talented tackle, Richard Collier has been shot several times by an unidentified man. Collier and his friends were waiting in Colliers car for a woman they met at a bar and thas how the tragic episode got a start.

Collier and former Jaguars defensive end Kenneth Pettway were outside an apartment in the 2300 block of Riverside Avenue about 2:45 a.m. waiting for two women they met at a San Marco club. Jacksonville Sheriff's Office spokesman Ken Jefferson said a gunman approached and shot into their car.

Collier, 26, who was in the driver's seat of the Cadillac Escalade, was struck several times. He was transported to Shands-Jacksonville Medical Center, where he was listed in critical condition.Pettway was not injured in the attack.

"We're not clear at this point as to the motive, as to the suspect," Jefferson said early Tuesday. "This is all open right now, all fluid, and we are investigating as we speak."

Collier is an offensive tackle out of Valdosta State. The Jaguars picked him up as an undrafted free agent in 2006.

During training camp this summer, Collier battled for the starting job at left tackle but was beat out by Khalif Barnes.

Earlier this year, Collier pleaded no contest to a drunken driving charge, avoiding trial and accepting six months of probation.

The 6-foot-7, 350-pound linemen was arrested Nov. 3 after officers said they found him asleep behind the wheel of his sports utility vehicle at a McDonald's drive-thru window. Collier failed field sobriety tests and had a blood-alcohol level of .096. In Florida, it is illegal to drive when a person's blood-alcohol level reaches .08.

Collier's attorney, Hank Coxe, disputed the police report and recommended that his client go to trial, but Collier didn't want the team to have to deal with the negative attention that would generate.

Pettway, 25, a defensive end out of Grambling State, was picked up from the practice squad in 2006 and played 10 games in 2007. He was the seventh-round draft pick of the Houston Texans in 2005.

Pettway was one of 19 players the Jaguars cut from the roster on Saturday.

The reason behind the attack is unclear. The sheriff's office continues to investigate.