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Family focus on homicide victim, not football fame of accused

Alcoa police announced the arrests of Camion Patrick, 22, of Knoxville and Isaiah Wright, 20, of Harriman, for the criminal homicide of Caleb Radford, 18, of Maryville.

Editor's Note: On Nov. 7, 2017, a judge dismissed criminal homicide charges against Camion Patrick. You can read more here.

(Sept. 15, 2017) Two men previously known for their prowess on the football field are now in the spotlight for charges of criminal homicide in the stabbing death of an 18-year-old Maryville man.

Alcoa Police Chief David Carswell announced the arrests of Camion D. Patrick, 22, of Knoxville and Isaiah S. Wright, 20, of Harriman. Both have been charged with the criminal homicide of 18-year-old Caleb Radford of Maryville.

Radford was found stabbed to death July 25 near the intersection of Buck Drive and Topside Road iin Blount County.

Caleb Radford obituary photo and excerpt from July 2017.

The arrests of Patrick and Wright, who are brothers, makes a total of four men charged in connection with Radford's death. On August 3, Alcoa detectives arrested 21-year-old Keshawn Lonnell Hopewell of Alcoa and 28-year-old Itiq Tivone Green of Louisville. Both were charged with criminal homicide and have remained in the Blount County jail on $1 million bond each.

RELATED: Aug. 3, 2017: Two men charged in stabbing death of Maryville teen

The family of Caleb Radford did not want to speak on-camera early Thursday, but it was clear through the comments of cousins and other relatives on social media they want the public to focus on the loss of his life rather than the fame of those accused of his death. The family also posted on Twitter they were waiting to make a statement and asked all friends and family not to speak to the media in the meantime.

An obituary posted in July said Caleb Radford was a recent graduate of William Blount High School. His obituary said Radford loved his parents, Lee and Robyn Radford, and was "the best big brother ever" to his siblings.

Radford and his longtime girlfriend "and someday beautiful bride," Zion Alexis Long, were new parents with a son named Kylon.

Radford graduated early from William Blount High School, where he played football "for one of his all-time favorite coaches, Coach Shad," according to his obituary.

As for the football fame of the accused, the latest arrests involve two brothers who received national attention and have subsequently made the homicide a national story covered by media outlets throughout the United States.

Camion Patrick, former Indiana University football player, during a 2016 game against Rutgers.

Camion Patrick played football for Indiana University, where he was taken into custody Wednesday by campus police in Bloomington, Indiana. He was awaiting extradition to Blount County as of Thursday afternoon. Patrick's mug shot was not immediately available.

Patrick received a lot of publicity as a high school football star in East Tennessee who initially committed to play college football for the University of Tennessee. His planned path to the Vols changed when he was ruled ineligible for his senior season at West High School by the TSSAA.

WATCH: WBIR 2012 report on Camion Patrick eligibility complications

West High School was Patrick's third team after previously transferring from Lenoir City and Clinton. The TSSAA denied Patrick's appeal that he transferred due to changes in his parents' employment rather than for football reasons.

Camion Patrick during a 2012 interview with WBIR Sports as a highly-touted high school football player.

The high school transfers also impacted his academic credits, so he attended junior college before enrolling at Indiana University. Coaches there referred to him as the "best player on the team," according to reports by the Indianapolis Star.

Patrick's college football career ended this summer before his senior season due to ongoing knee and shoulder injuries. He remained on scholarship after being granted a medical hardship. He is now suspended from school.

Wright, 20, was arrested Wednesday in Roane County and is now in custody in Blount County where he is being held on $1 million bond. Wright is also known for his football abilities after appearing on the Netflix documentary series "Last Chance U." The show follows players at East Mississippi Community College, the junior college where Wright played as a running back in 2016.

Patrick, 22, was taken into custody by Indiana University campus police in Bloomington, IN. Wright, 20, was taken into custody by Harriman police officers.

The Alcoa Police Department has not commented on any possible motive or if it expects to make any additional arrests.

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