The NFL draft combine in underway in Indianapolis, and we’ll soon have players rising up draft boards, contract extensions being discussed and front-office executives of all stripes chatting with the media in press conferences. It’s a busy week.
But still, a bizarre story about the Cowboys’ Mazi Smith—the team’s first-round pick in 2023—has emerged, involving an abandoned storage unit and some surprisingly valuable University of Michigan merch that has cropped up on Tik Tok.
Again, not what you’d expect to see during NFL combine week.
But it seems that Smith was the owner of a storage unit that got lost in the shuffle after he was drafted by the Cowboys. When he stopped paying the bill for the unit, it was marked as abandoned and was auctioned off by the unit owner.
It was then purchased by Vincent Broadway, who describes himself as a “reseller” and makes TikTok videos of his finds. And when he stumbled onto what is apparently Smith’s locker, well, he got more than he bargained for and might well regret going public with what he found.
Sneakers & Merch Worth Thousands
Broadway claimed on TikTok to have purchased the locker for $1,880, with one of the big items appearing to be an unopened gun safe.
“Check out one of the craziest storage units I’ve ever purchased. I paid $1,880 for this storage locker, I’m guessing because most people saw this giant gun safe in the front. But what I saw was this cleat in the back. It’s a Michigan Jordan cleat. These are player exclusive cleats, they sell for between $600-700,” Broadway said.
“That was just the tip of the iceberg for this unit. All of the shoes in here are essentially player-exclusive Michigan Wolverine Jordan shoes—cleats, player-exclusive Jordan shoes, just regular shoes. It’s just insane.”
Indeed, as Broadway goes through and opens more and more boxes—there are three videos in all—he shows pair after pair of limited-edition player-exclusive Jordan shoes featuring Michigan colors and logo, with the shoes estimated to be worth more than $20,000. There is also a wealth of clothing and Michigan apparel inside.
Cowboys’ Mazi Smith Wants His Stuff Back
Now, where things get complicated for Broadway and for Smith. It turns out, the lapsing of the storage unit was an oversight by Smith, and he wants his stuff back.
His attorney, Levi McCathern II, told Alex Raskin of the Daily Mail that Smith only became aware of the fact that he’d forfeited the unit after someone sent him the Broadway video.
“Mazi Smith was completely unaware that his personal belongings had been sold until he was sent the TikTok video of the man who purchased the storage unit where his belongings were being stored,” McCathern told the site in an email.
McCathern went on to say that he hoped Broadway would return the items.
“Obviously, Mazi has been in constant motion since being drafted last year,” McCathern continued. “In the course of moving and changing banks, payment for this unit somehow fell through the cracks. Mazi obviously wants his possessions back, and we will immediately begin working towards that goal. We are hopeful that the individual in possession of Mazi’s unique personal items will cooperate with us on their speedy return.”
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Cowboys Rookie Seeks Return of ‘Insane’ Items Sold in Abandoned Storage Unit