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By The Sports Xchange
Former Rutgers linebacker Brendan DeVera, one of eight players involved in a credit card scheme that led to the school booting them from the team, turned to the dark web to obtain stolen credit card numbers, NJ.com reported Saturday.
According to the report, DeVera needed money to pay off debts related to parking tickets. The report said he turned to the dark web to get stolen credit card numbers and then transferred the stolen money to various school debit cards.
After moving the money to school-issued debit cards, he used them at a Barnes & Noble to purchase Visa gift cards between $211 and $823. The scheme began to unravel when a Rutgers Dining Services employee noticed the fraud and called school police.
DeVera is believed the be the leader of the group and faces multiple charges. He is facing charges of promoting organized street crime in the second degree, third degree money laundering, third degree fraudulent use of credit cards and third-degree conspiracy to commit theft by deception. He pleaded not guilty on Thursday.
Other players named in the scheme are K.J. Gray, Edwin Lopez, Malik Vaccaro-Dixon, Syhiem Simmons, Christian Onyechi, Kwabena Marfo and Naijee Jones.
Devera was set to enter his sophomore season. In his first season, he made two tackles in 11 games.
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-- Former LSU quarterback Justin McMillan is transferring to Tulane.
McMillan, who said he planned to leave LSU earlier this month, announced his decision Friday in a posting on Twitter.
"I'm thankful for everything," McMillan wrote. "I will be finishing my career and starting the next chapter of my life at Tulane."
McMillan will be eligible to play immediately for the Green Wave because he is a graduate transfer, according to the Times-Picayune of New Orleans, which cited a source in reporting that remaining in-state played a big part in picking Tulane. He also has been assured he will be given the opportunity to compete for the starting job with incumbent Jonathan Banks, the Times-Picayune reported.
-- Nebraska junior running back Tre Bryant has decided to retire from football because of a chronic knee issue.
"I think he just figured out he just can't do it with the condition that he has," Cornhuskers head coach Scott Frost said Friday, per the school's official website.
Bryant appeared in the first two games of 2017 before he was hurt. He underwent season-ending surgery in late October.
After going through rehabilitation, Bryant reported feeling good in training camp, only to see the pain return to the point where he told coaches he could not sleep at night.
Bryant rushed 51 times for 299 yards and two touchdowns in the first two games last season, against Arkansas State and Oregon. He became the first Huskers running back with 100-yard rushing games to open a season since Ameer Abdullah in 2013.
-- USC linebacker Porter Gustin continues to make progress in his rehabilitation from knee surgery after undergoing surgery to repair a minor meniscus tear earlier this month, an injury the school said was expected to sideline him for two to four weeks.
Although he was on the field participating in individual drills one week after the surgery, he posted Instagram videos earlier this week showing his workout regimen.
Gustin had to be carted off the field on Aug. 7 and an MRI revealed the severity of the injury. Initial reports had Gustin set to miss up to six weeks.
He was limited to four games as a junior last year as he dealt with a broken toe and torn biceps. He had three sacks in his first three games before the injuries hit. Gustin has played in 28 games in three seasons, totaling 14.0 sacks and 23 tackles for loss.
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