While professional leagues like the NFL continue to grow in stature, its player association has taken an important step for the safety of players outside the gridiron. Close to 35% of NFL players are either bankrupt or are under financial stress within two years of retirement. With financial scams being one of the key reasons behind these statistics, the NFL Players Association has sent to all certified agents a new notice of a fraud and s-x t——-ing scheme that targeted NFL and NBA players.
“The FBI has advised that Kwamaine Jerell Ford, posing as a female adult film star, lured athletes into providing sensitive information,” the NFLPA’s notice said, as reported by Pro Football Talk. “This individual was supposedly able to access many athletes’ iCloud accounts and stole victim information, including credit cards. Additionally, this individual, posing as an adult film star, lured athletes into having s-x with an adult female OnlyFans creator, being filmed without their knowledge or consent.”
This drastic step comes from the NFLPA after Ford allegedly posed as an adult film star and offered to send explicit videos to the athletes. He then took up the role of an Apple customer service representative to find usernames, passwords, and multi-factor authentication codes, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia said.
Ford, who is facing allegations, allegedly used this method to obtain credit and debit card information from dozens of victims, according to the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia. He then “recruited, tricked, and coerced a female victim into engaging in commercial s-x acts with the professional athletes,” using the adult film star persona while also using other false identities to threaten the victim.
Ford has been charged with nine counts of wire fraud, seven counts of computer fraud, one count of access device fraud, four counts of aggravated identity theft, and one count of human trafficking. However, this isn’t Ford’s first brush with the law, as he was previously investigated in November 2020.
“Kwamaine Ford clearly did not learn from his prior conviction for a similar scheme,” Peter Ellis, FBI Georgia Acting Special Agent in Charge, said. “This time, he allegedly escalated his criminal activity – stealing identities and money while also moving into coercion and s-x t——ing.”
While protecting players has clearly become about more than just contracts, the NFLPA made this decision to raise awareness about individuals like Ford after a significant change in its leadership group.
NFLPA announces new executive director for player representation
Player representatives for the NFL Players Association have elected retired Cleveland Browns offensive lineman JC Tretter as their next executive director, the union announced. Alongside his NFL career, Tretter previously held the position of union chief strategy officer and hence brings much-needed experience.
“I understand the responsibility that comes with this role and how important it is to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with player leadership,” Tretter said in a statement posted to X. “This union has always played a critical role in shaping the game, and that work is as important now as it’s ever been.”
The NFLPA has been searching for a permanent leader since July, when the then-executive director Lloyd Howell Jr. had to resign after ESPN reported that he had charged a pair of strip club visits to the union. However, now with JC Tretter, the NFLPA hopes to improve its own image and also continue to represent its players in the best way possible.