A former Michigan football player has been arrested as part of a human trafficking investigation, authorities said.
Officials with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said they arrested Patrick Kugler, 29, and five others during an undercover operation against human trafficking.
Officers placed several decoy ads on websites linked to prostitution and commercial sex to try to catch people who were looking to commit sex crimes with children.
The operation lasted two days, from Aug. 16 to Aug. 17. Kugler and five others -- Franklin Poe, Andre Johnson, Dashuan Ramey, James Francis, and Anthony Rice -- were taken into custody.
Kugler is facing one count of trafficking for sexual servitude. He was given a $5,000 bond.
Kugler spent five seasons with the University of Michigan football team from 2013 through 2017. He played in five games as a senior in 2016 and earned All-Big Ten honorable mention in 2017 after starting 12 games on the offensive line.
Kugler had been working on the coaching staff at Austin Peay State University, but he resigned on Aug. 18, Sports Illustrated reported.
If convicted of the class B felony in Tennessee, Kugler faces between eight and 30 years in prison, according to WOOD-TV.
