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TJ Finley’s arrest could all boil down to a Facebook scam, his lawyers say.
On Wednesday, the Tulane quarterback was arrested in New Orleans for allegedly possessing a stolen vehicle.
He was booked for possession of stolen property of over $25,000.
Local police were looking into a complaint of a parked truck blocking a driveway when they found that the license plate wasn’t a match.
A Dodge Ram truck was associated with a different vehicle registered under Finley’s name. This truck was later discovered to be connected to an identification number linked to a stolen Dodge Ram in Atlanta.
Finley’s lawyers, David Courcelle and Scott Stansbury, issued a statement on Thursday revealing that the former quarterback for LSU and Auburn had fallen victim to a scam on Facebook Marketplace.
The statement clarified, “TJ Finley fell prey to a scheme on Facebook Marketplace. He bought a pre-owned pickup truck from an individual who identified himself as John Spillway, supposedly representing Mountain Adventures, LLC. Spillway provided TJ with a sales receipt and vehicle registration, leading TJ to believe the transaction was legitimate. Three days later, Tulane authorities informed TJ that the truck had been reported stolen.”
“TJ looks forward to continuing to cooperate fully with the authorities in hopes of recovering the funds he lost, bringing the criminal(s) to justice, and clearing his name and reputation. TJ is hopeful that this process will be completed quickly so that he can move forward with his academics and athletic career.”
Despite the claim, Finley has since been suspended from Tulane’s football program, pending the outcome of the case.
He has a hearing scheduled for June 1.
In addition to Tulane, LSU, and Auburn, he has played for Texas State and Western Kentucky.
Last season with Western Kentucky, the quarterback recorded 490 passing yards for one touchdown and two interceptions across just three games.
The year was a big drop from his 3,439-yard season with Texas State in 2023 when he threw 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
