Tuskegee assistant football coach arrested on gun, drug charges

An assistant football coach at Tuskegee University was arrested Wednesday on federal drug and gun charges.

Ramone Nickerson, 33, is charged with two counts of possession with intent to distribute and one charge of possession of a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime.

Nickerson was found with 3 ounces of cocaine, a pound of marijuana and a handgun in Russell County on March 13, according to a Department of Justice news release.

He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years for the drug trafficking charges and five for the firearms charge.

Nickerson was a four-year defensive back starter at Tuskegee from 2002-2005 before going on to play in the AF2 (arenafootball2) for five seasons, according to a biography posted on Tuskegee’s website.

AF2 was Arena Football League’s developmental league from 2000-2009.

Nickerson joined the Golden Tigers’ coaching staff as a student assistant in 2006.