One former Dallas Cowboys legend is facing a legal battle that threatens to put a big dent in his reputation after Hall of Fame running back and NFL career rushing leader Emmitt Smith was sued this week for his alleged role in a $2.5 million Ponzi scheme.
“Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith and his commercial real estate firm have been accused of cheating a Native American investor out of $2.5 million as part of an alleged solar project scheme, according to a lawsuit filed in Delaware,” The Athletic’s Devon Henderson wrote on Wednesday. “The lawsuit, filed Monday in Chancery Court, claims Smith, the NFL’s all-time leading rusher and a three-time Super Bowl champion with the Dallas Cowboys, his business partner, David Mosley, and their commercial real estate company, 4 13 Solutions Inc., convinced Kituwah LLC to invest $2.5 million to fund a Texas solar project named Project Exodus.”
Kituwah, which represents the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in investment and economic development opportunities, is seeking the return of the $2.5 million with interest.
According to multiple reports, Smith and Mosley used the loan from the Cherokee to “improperly” repay another company, Wilson Holdings.
Tracking Start of Emmitt Smith’s Legendary Career
Few football players have reached the levels of success and fame Smith found during his legendary career — dating all the way back to when he swept National Player of the Year honors from USA Today, PARADE Magazine, and Gatorade in 1986 coming out of Escambia High School in Pensacola, Florida, and was eventually named the Florida High School Athletic Association’s “Player of the Century” in 2007.
In 3 seasons at the University of Florida, Smith was a 3-time All-SEC pick, SEC MVP, and a unanimous All-American in 1989 before the Cowboys selected him in the 1st round (No. 17 overall) of the 1990 NFL Draft.
‘Triplets’ Brought Cowboys 3 Super Bowl Wins
On the Cowboys, Smith teamed with a pair of fellow future Pro Football Hall of Famers on offense with quarterback Troy Aikman and wide receiver Michael Irvin to form the “Triplets” — a trio that would lead the franchise to 3 Super Bowl wins in the 1990s.
Smith won Super Bowl MVP and NFL MVP in 1993, when he rushed for 1,486 yards and had 414 receiving yards despite missing the 1st 2 games of the season in a nasty contract dispute with owner Jerry Jones.
Named to both the NFL’s 1990s All-Decade Team and the NFL 100th Anniversary team, Smith played 15 seasons — 13 for the Cowboys and 2 for the Arizona Cardinals — and stills holds NFL career records for rushing yards (18,355), rushing touchdowns (164), and rushing attempts (4,409)
Cowboys Legend Sued Over Alleged $2.5 Million Ponzi Scheme