The Sports Xchange

LSU offensive lineman La’el Collins is voluntarily leaving Chicago and the NFL Draft to return to Louisiana to meet with police about the shooting death of a pregnant woman.

A source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Collins is leaving in an effort to clear his name.

Collins, a possible first-round pick, was at an NFL event Wednesday morning but declined to answer questions from reporters.

Police, who said Tuesday that Collins is not believed to be a suspect in the case, are trying to get more information about the death of 29-year-old Brittney Mills, who was shot and killed Friday night in Baton Rouge. She was found in her apartment and rushed to the hospital, where her infant was delivered. The child survived and remains under medical care.

According to ESPN, police believe Mills is the former girlfriend of Collins and are trying to determine who killed her, and whether Collins is the father of the child delivered after Mills’ death.

“He’s not a suspect, but we are seeking to question him,” Cpl. Don Coppola of the Baton Rogue Police Department told NFL Media’s Albert Breer. “He knew the victim. We’re not sure of the exact nature of the relationship. But for the investigation and through the investigation, we’re exhausting all avenues to locate this young lady’s killer.”

Collins’ attorney, Jim Boren, said Tuesday he is taking the police investigation seriously, has provided information to the police and has hired a private investigator.

“We have identified where La’el was the day the lady was murdered to establish he was nowhere around,” Boren told ESPN. “We have offered to give names, witnesses who can vouch for his whereabouts that day until after the woman’s body was discovered. We believe that when (police) have verified that information, that they will rule him out as a suspect in the homicide, just as I believe he should be.”

Collins, a 6-foot-4, 305-pound Baton Rouge native, was one of 28 players who accepted the NFL’s invitation to attend the draft in Chicago. NFLDraftScout.com rates Collins as the No. 18 overall prospect in the draft.