Former Hurricane Rashaun Jones on trial in death of Bryan Pata - ESPN

A former University of Miami football player goes on trial for murder Monday, nearly 20 years after his teammate Bryan Pata died of a gunshot wound in the parking lot of his off-campus apartment.

Pata, the youngest of nine children, was a 22-year-old defensive tackle projected to be a second- or third-round NFL draft pick when he was shot in the head Nov. 7, 2006.

Murder at The U, ESPN's new, seven-part podcast on the slaying of Bryan Pata and the two-decade odyssey to find his killer, debuts this Thursday. Listen here.

Police did not arrest ex-Hurricane Rashaun Jones in Pata's death until August 2021. State prosecutors charged him with second-degree murder, alleging in the arrest warrant that the teammates had «ongoing issues.»

Jones, 39, has remained in custody for the past 4½ years amid court delays and changes in attorneys on both sides. He has maintained his innocence throughout.

Find ESPN's initial investigation of the Bryan Pata killing and other stories since 2020. https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/47852095/previous-espn-coverage-bryan-pata-death" target="_blank">Click here.

In a pretrial hearing Feb. 2, the state offered a plea deal of 15 years in prison with credit for time served. That is below minimum guidelines in Florida, where Jones could get up to life in prison if convicted for second-degree murder.

Florida 11th Circuit Court Judge Cristina Miranda spoke directly to Jones for several minutes during a pretrial hearing Feb. 2, encouraging him to consider the plea and asking if he wanted to make a counteroffer.

«Some people plead no contest because it's in their best interest to resolve the case. It means that the gamble is something you're not willing to take,» she said. «Now, you're a fairly young man.