Second Lobo football player arrested

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - KRQE News 13 has learned a second Lobo football player was arrested this week, and you guessed it, it had to do with alcohol.

But, unlike the defensive back popped for DWI who alerted Coach Bob Davie the next day, this player tried to pull a quarterback sneak. In fact Coach Davie didn't know about the latest arrest until News 13's Alex Tomlin called to get his reaction.

David Vega was a state champ at Goddard twice, a record-setter at the New Mexico Military Institute and then a back-up quarterback for UNM. But Tuesday night the junior is off the team.

Vega joined the Lobos earlier this year, and it wasn't long before he got in trouble at training camp in Ruidoso this summer. Coach Davie says he suspended Vega but wouldn't say why.

“I will let people try and guess what that was,” Davie said Tuesday.

In fact Vega had just earned his way back onto the team last week.

“If it wouldn't have been because of his former actions and the fact that I don't trust him very much right now, and the fact that he didn't come see me, I don't know that I would have suspended him immediately based on the facts that he told me,” Davie said about Vega’s arrest.

Davie isn't saying what Vega told him, but a criminal complaint says cops went to Vega’s home off west Central Sunday looking for stolen property. They found it, and four underage people inside drinking. Cops say Vega, who's 20, wouldn't give his name so they arrested him for possessing alcohol and concealing his identity.

When Davie heard about News 13’s call Tuesday afternoon he confronted Vega.

“The moment I heard, he was gone, his pads were pulled and he was cleared out,” said Davie. “When you calm down a little bit you see that these are young guys. He knew if he did come to me what the result was going to be, so he was hoping it could be cleared before it ever got to me; which was a poor decision.”

Davie says Vega gave him a strong argument for why he wasn't guilty, but it was too late for the coach, “I'm not listening. I'm not listening. He's going to have to get this thing proved on his own.”

Vega's three roommates are not football players. No one was charged for the stolen goods. News 13 asked Albuquerque Police what that investigation was about but they never got back to us with an answer.