Arik Gilbert, a former football player for Georgia, was taken into custody in Nebraska on Tuesday morning. He is accused of burglarizing a liquor and vape shop, with the stolen items estimated to be worth over $1,600. Gilbert, who had transferred to Nebraska during the offseason, is currently awaiting a decision from the NCAA regarding his eligibility. According to the Lincoln Police Department, Gilbert was charged with felony burglary and was detained at the Lancaster County Jail.
The police were alerted to a burglary at SJ’s Liquor and Vape Shop shortly before 2 a.m., where they found a broken glass door. The officers later spotted Gilbert, a tight end, approaching the door with a bag in hand. The police reported that the bag contained vape products and cigars, among other items, totaling over $1,672. The store also suffered approximately $650 in damages.
Nebraska’s coach, Matt Rhule, addressed the media about the incident on Tuesday. He expressed his disappointment upon learning of Gilbert’s arrest and mentioned that the former five-star recruit has been facing “some struggles” during camp. Rhule stated, “When we took Arik, we knew we had a good group of people that were going to help him through some of the issues he’s dealing with in his life.”
Gilbert had a promising start to his football career at LSU in 2020, where he started eight games and was named to the All-SEC freshman team with 35 catches for 368 yards. He later transferred to Georgia but did not play during the 2021 season. He participated in three games for the Bulldogs last season, catching two passes for 16 yards and a touchdown before transferring to Nebraska in January.
Rhule refrained from commenting on Gilbert’s future with the team or the next steps following his arrest. He stated, “I’ve learned over the years not to jump to conclusions, not to jump to things. He wasn’t really practicing with us, preparing to play. He was on the scout team, so this doesn’t impact our team. Our team’s ready to play.”