Ex-San Jose St. Player Slain in Argument

Rodney Dwight Traylor, a former San Jose State football player who was shot by his brother during an argument over Traylor’s alleged cocaine use in the Santa Ana house they shared, died Tuesday.

Before he was arrested, Santa Ana police said, Reginald Fredrick Traylor, 27, told police investigators that his younger brother had been selling cocaine from the house in the presence of the elder Traylor’s six children. He also said the younger brother had absconded with about $500 of his savings and--moments before the shooting--attempted to steal his disability check.

Reginald Traylor’s wife, Janice, told police that her brother-in-law had offered cocaine to the oldest--at 5 and 6 years old--of their six children.

“He had just had enough,” said Gary Bruce, a Santa Ana police detective who interviewed the elder brother.

Rodney Traylor, 26, was shot once in the groin with a .38-caliber handgun Monday and died about 9 a.m. Tuesday at Fountain Valley Regional Hospital, Santa Ana police Sgt. Collie Provence said.

Moments after the shooting, Bruce said, Reginald Traylor--who had asked a neighbor to notify police and waited for officers to arrive--was taken into custody in the driveway of the home where he and his brother had been raised. He was being held on $250,000 bail.

However, investigators said “Reggie,” who is 5 feet, 8 inches and weighs 185 pounds, told them he armed himself with the gun only after an argument over the disability check escalated and he was threatened by the former football player, who was 6-2, 250 pounds.

Rodney Traylor graduated in 1977 from Santa Ana Valley High School, played football at Long Beach City College and then transferred to San Jose State in 1979, said Lawrence Fan, sports information director at the university. Fan said Traylor led the team in tackles as a senior in 1980 and was on the All-PCAA second team the same year.

In 1981, he tried out for the San Diego Chargers, but a team spokesman said Tuesday he was cut during training camp because he was “undersized for a defensive end in professional football.”