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As many of you will recall, three former Texas Tech football players – Trace Ellison, Dakota Allen, and Robert Castaneda – were dismissed from the team at the end of last semester. Castaneda’s younger brother, Tyler, was committed to play for Texas Tech before reopening his recruitment in the spring.
To help piece together the full timeline of events now that more information is known, here are the key dates that ultimately led to the players’ dismissals.
January 9: Robert Castaneda, Trace Ellison, and Dakota Allen break into a house on the 4300 block of 43rd Street in Lubbock. According to police, the three stole a total of seven guns, a television, and two digital cameras.
Late March: One of the owners of the robbed house finds one of the stolen guns, a shotgun, at a local business in Lubbock. This development led investigators “to the name of a man police tracked”, according to EverythingLubbock.com.
March 30: Tyler Castaneda, Robert’s younger brother, posted on Twitter that he will no longer be attending Texas Tech but doesn’t mention a particular reason as to why he had a change of heart. This is pure speculation on my part, but if by the end of March Robert Castaneda felt like the authorities were going to piece everything together and he felt his time in Lubbock was limited, perhaps he told his brother it would be best if he attended a different university. Or maybe the two have nothing to do with one another. But the date which Tyler Castaneda decommitted is noteworthy given the timeline of events.
April 23: Police find the man they were tracking at a gun show at the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center. The man said he was unaware the guns he had purchased were stolen. Former Texas Tech basketball coach Bob Knight was at the same gun show.
May 3: Police confront Castaneda at his residence, during which time Castaneda confesses to stealing the guns. He doesn’t name his teammates as accomplices, but gives police their jersey numbers.
May 5: Robert Castaneda, Dakota Allen, and Trace Ellison are dismissed from the football team "due to a failure to uphold student-athlete expectations."
May 27: Castaneda was placed under arrest and turned himself in to the police.
June 1: Ellison was booked into the Lubbock County jail for his role in the burglary.
June 2: Dakota Allen was arrested for his role.