Former Arizona Cardinals general manager Steve Keim has been part of the news cycle lately. Keim participated in an e-commerce scheme with Mohamed Coulibaly that reportedly targeted past and current NFL players.
The latest news on Coulibaly, who was found dead on August 3, put the ex-Cardinals GM in the spotlight. Keim interviewed with former ESPN studio host Trey Wingo to clear his name on Inside Football.
It’s worth noting that Keim is one of five prominent NFL figures who are a part of the Inside Football podcast. In addition to Wingo and Keim, the show also features Hall of Famers Brian Urlacher and Cris Carter, and former Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis.
You can watch the full interview below.
Ex-Cardinals GM Issues Apology in Interview
GettySteve Keim was the general manager of the Arizona Cardinals from 2013 to 2022. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
With Steve Keim under scrutiny for his business dealings after leaving the Cardinals, he decided to clear the air. Keim details how the partnership with Coulibaly began and how things got to where they are.
“For the viewers out there, I want to clear my name and my family’s name, first and foremost,” said Keim. “I met Mohamed last July. He presented a dropshipping business to me and my son. We invested in his company, then my ex-wife invested in his company. On paper, the rates of return were incredible for these stores. And e-commerce business is very lucrative if you do it the right way.
“But as we got into the spring, into March and April, people that I had involved with the company were coming to me that they weren’t getting payments,” Keim said. “I wasn’t getting paid back because of my seven stores that I bought. So things got extremely toxic. I got very, very animated with him and let him know that this is unacceptable. I flew to Philadelphia to meet with him to make sure that there are funds in his bank accounts to pay all these people that are not only involved with me, but he obviously had a number of other investors involved in this business. And long story short, you know, we were scammed.
Keim felt that Coulibaly used his name to legitimize his business. He said he would not have supported the venture if there was an issue or something illegal going on. He said that his family has taken on seven-figure losses and hopes to recoup them someday.
“I don’t want to be the victim; I want to be the guy who’s [saying] ‘I fucked up and I made a mistake.’ I can look at the guy in the mirror as long as I can be honest with myself. And I made poor judgment, and I hurt some people along the way. I’m extremely sorry for it.”
It’s important to note that Keim is framing himself as another victim of the scheme. With Coulibaly’s death being investigated by authorities, more information should come to light.
Steve Keim Lawyers Up in Spat with Former Player
GettyArizona Cardinals receiver DeAndre Hopkins during the 2022 season. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)
Steve Keim isn’t in the news just for his business ventures. He’s also preparing for potential legal action against ex-Cardinals receiver DeAndre Hopkins, a player he acquired in 2020.
Hopkins accused his former GM of setting him up to fail his 2022 drug test. That prompted Keim to retain Raees Mohammed of RM Warner Law and issue a statement refuting the allegation. Hopkins later deleted the tweet, but that didn’t stop Keim from considering his options.
Given that RM Warner Law practices defamation law, there’s a chance that Keim could pursue some kind of action against Hopkins over the tweet. He told Arizona Sports radio host John Gambadoro that he’s confident he’ll win his case.
Former Cardinals GM Steve Keim Breaks Silence on Business Scandal