Emmitt Smith’s post-playing life has kept him in the spotlight for plenty of reasons, but the latest one is a serious legal fight tied to his energy company, 4 13 Solutions.
According to Ben Horney of Front Office Sports, Smith’s company is being sued by Kituwah LLC, the investment and economic development arm of the Band of Cherokee. Kituwah says it entered into a project with Smith and his business partner David Mosley and put in $2.5 million.
The company says that loan is now two years old and still hasn’t been repaid - not even a penny. With the debt past due, Kituwah is seeking the original $2.5 million plus “interest, costs, expenses, and any additional damages to be determined at trial.”
The filings say the money was supposed to go toward a solar farm that has not been started. Kituwah also accuses Smith of running a scheme, and says the funds were instead used to pay debt to another firm.
Smith, of course, built his name on one of the greatest careers in NFL history. A 17th overall pick in the 1990 NFL draft, he wasted little time silencing doubts about whether he had the speed to handle the league. As a rookie, he rushed for 937 yards and 11 touchdowns.
That was just the start. Smith became a steady force in the Dallas offense and topped 1,000 rushing yards in 11 straight seasons. He led the NFL in rushing yards four times and led the league in rushing touchdowns three times.
By the end of his Cowboys run, he had piled up 17,162 rushing yards and 153 touchdowns, both franchise records. He finished his career with the Arizona Cardinals, adding 937 rushing yards and nine touchdowns in his final season at age 35.
Smith remains the NFL’s all-time rushing leader with 18,355 yards and still holds the career record for rushing touchdowns with 164.
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