Former Arizona Cardinals general manager Steve Keim has surfaced in a business relationship tied to Mohamed Coulibaly, the man recently accused of running a scam involving professional athletes.
The connection came to light after a Barron’s investigation into Coulibaly’s company, Motion Ventures, which allegedly persuaded athletes to put money into Shopify stores that later failed. According to the report, multiple former NFL players said they lost more than $1 million combined in the arrangement.
The story took another turn this month when authorities found Coulibaly dead in the swimming pool at his New Jersey home. ABC7 reported that investigators are still working to determine how he died. Police have not announced any arrests or filed charges related to the alleged scam or his death.
Documents obtained by Pro Football Talk show that Motion Ventures identified Keim as its “chief operation/growth officer” in a November 2025 pitch deck. In that presentation, Coulibaly and Keim were the only two people listed in primary leadership roles. The deck said Keim would help steer expansion plans and assess new opportunities for the company, while also supporting leadership decisions as Motion Ventures pushed for growth in the United States and overseas.
Barron’s also reported that Motion Ventures allegedly used fake sales data in business dashboards to make online stores look more profitable than they really were. One example cited in the report involved a supposed $5,000 order from Luxembourg for 100 desktop humidifiers and 120 USB-powered cup warmers.
The person at the shipping address told Barron’s he never placed the order. “Who needs 100 humidifiers and 120 cup warmers?”
the man said.
After the report was published, Coulibaly disputed parts of the allegations. In comments to the New York Post, he said, “I strongly dispute a number of the factual assertions and characterizations contained in the Barron’s article and any follow-up reporting that relies upon them.”
The pitch deck also named several NFL figures as notable clients and partners, including Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter, other current and former Eagles players, Keim, and Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider.
Keim departed the Cardinals in January 2023. He later joined Rich Paul’s Klutch Sports Group in 2024 as general manager of its football division. Authorities are still investigating the case.
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