Broker in NFL Loan Scam Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

Sure Sports, the loan broker at the center of the NFL player loan scam, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Tuesday. The firm arranged at least three loans in 2023 and 2024 totaling $11.7 million to individuals it believed were NFL players Michael Penix Jr., Xavier McKinney, and David Njoku. However, the "borrowers" were actually former Alabama lineman Luther Davis, who posed as them at loan signings.

Davis was arrested in 2024 and pleaded guilty, with sentencing scheduled for December 3. His co-defendant, CJ Evins, received a six-year prison sentence. Founded in 2009 by Leon McKenzie and Joleen Matte, Sure Sports has arranged hundreds of loans to athletes, typically in the form of short-term bridge loans repaid upon the receipt of contracted income.

The firm is currently the defendant in at least two lawsuits from aggrieved lenders, Aliya Sports Finance Fund and All Pro Capital Funding, who claim Sure Sports failed to properly vet the loans made to the fraudulent players. While the Chapter 11 filing should halt the cases against Sure Sports, the impact on McKenzie's case remains unclear, as he has requested it be dismissed.

Sure Sports has assets and liabilities between $1 million and $10 million according to the filing, which lists 50-99 creditors, though the NFL-related lenders are not among the top 20 unsecured creditors. The top unsecured creditor is a Pandemic-era PPP loan of $175,485.33. No secured creditors are disclosed. Despite filing for bankruptcy, Sure Sports remains active, having planned to issue loans to MLB players in case of an extended lockout.

In March, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia filed criminal charges against Davis and Evins for obtaining over $19.8 million in fraudulent loans, including the three loans brokered by Sure Sports.