NFL legend Emmitt Smith, who helped the Dallas Cowboys win three Super Bowls in the 1990s, has been accused of conning $2.5 million from a Native American investor.
Filed in Delaware this week, the lawsuit from Kituwah LLC, an investment and economic development arm of the Band of Cherokee Indians, has alleged that it loaned Smith $2.5 million after he convinced them to join in a project along with his business partner David Mosley and their real estate company, per the New York Post.
The suit against the Hall of Famer and NFL all-time rushing leader is seeking at least $2.5 million, along with interest, costs, expenses, and any additional damages to be determined at trial.
The loan is now more than two years past due, and Kituwah alleges that it has “not recovered a penny.” It also alleges that the money was actually used to repay a company that had previously invested in the venture.
The suit further stated that Kituwah has been forced to spend additional costs to reclaim the amounts lost, calling Smith’s offer a “ploy” built on a “steady stream of lies.”
“Kituwah poured substantial time, efforts, and resources into the purported joint venture,” the suit stated. “Not only has Kituwah not seen any returns on its investment, Kituwah has been forced to expend additional costs in efforts to reclaim the amounts it is still owed pursuant to its investment, including to investigate what happened to its money.”
According to Front Office Sports, the suit includes “six causes of action, including fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary duty, and breach of contract.”
“It says close to $600,000 in interest has accrued on the loan, meaning the current balance is over $3 million. Kituwah says that last year it offered to waive that interest if the loan was repaid by Aug. 31, 2025, but this effort to ‘work out a resolution’ was ‘effectively ignored,’ like its other requests,” it added. “The lawsuit seeks at least $2.5 million, plus interest, costs, and expenses, as well as additional damages to be determined at trial. It also requests attorneys’ fees and other costs associated with bringing the lawsuit, plus ‘further relief as the court deems just and proper.’”