TAMPA — Donald "Reche" Caldwell, a former University of Florida wide receiver and Jefferson High School athletic standout, was among eight men arrested Sunday in what Tampa police said was an illegal gambling operation.

Caldwell, 34, who also played in the NFL for the New England Patriots, the Washington Redskins, and the San Diego Chargers, was one of three ringleaders of the group, which operated out of a building at 1746 W Main St., according to Tampa police.

Officers armed with a search warrant raided the building Sunday afternoon. Caldwell was charged with running an illegal gambling house and bookmaking. He was held in the Orient Road Jail and released early Monday on $4,000 bail.

A second-team All-SEC pick as a Gators junior in 2001, Caldwell was drafted in the second round by the Chargers the following spring and spent parts of seven seasons in the NFL.

He is the older brother of Andre Caldwell, who is a wide receiver for the Denver Broncos.

Two other men, Bobby Eugene Richardson, 37, and Kenlun Dawson, 35, were arrested on the same charges and also later released. Five others were arrested on a range of lesser charges, including illegal gambling and possession of a controlled substance. They were: Rico DeAngelo Longstreet, 21; Bernard Rogers, 40; Troyanoski Jones, 44; Allen Rhodes, 42; and Dennis Robinson, 23.

In the raid, officers seized cash, two handguns, and a gram of the drug ecstasy.