BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - MAY 30: Tae Crowder #20 of the Birmingham Stallions meets fans after his team's 26-13 loss against the Houston Gamblers at Protective Stadium on May 30, 2026, in Birmingham, Alabama. (Photo by Stew Milne/UFL/Getty Images)
ATLANTA - A former NFL player from Georgia said he lost $500,000 in an investment scheme involving other professional athletes.
Tae Crowder investment loss
What we know:
Tae Crowder played for the New York Giants and was most recently in the United Football League. He said he invested his life savings in what he believed was a legitimate business opportunity.
Crowder said he learned about an opportunity to invest in online stores through other people in the NFL. He claimed seeing other players involved made him comfortable moving forward in late spring of 2025.
"I seen a lot of guys that I know were also investing into the same thing, so I was like, ‘Oh, okay, cool. This should be good,’" Crowder said.
According to Crowder, he invested $500,000 by September of last year and was promised a return of $900,000 that December.
"Every day I used to see the numbers moving, so it all looked legit," Crowder said.
However, when December came, Crowder shared the money never arrived.
He said for several months, the man he gave the money to either did not respond or gave excuses about why he could not make the payment.
The 29-year-old says the loss affected his life.
"I was planning on buying me a car, this and that. It interfered with everything, my whole life," Crowder said.
Police report and investigation
Crowder filed a report with police in Pennsylvania.
However, the man he accused was found dead last month and did not face any charges.
Crowder said he was embarrassed by what happened.
"I was super embarrassed. All of my guys involved were embarrassed, but I was like, look, we’re going through this. It’s something we got to face," Crowder said.
What they're saying:
Now, Crowder hopes sharing his story will help other athletes avoid similar situations.
"I would just tell any younger athletes getting a lot of money and dealing with a bunch of different people, just take your time and don’t try to rush into something because money is how we survive, it’s how we live," Crowder said.
What we don't know:
Authorities have not released details regarding the cause of death for the accused man or whether any of the invested funds can be recovered through legal channels.
Ongoing recovery efforts
What you can do:
Crowder started a GoFundMe page in an effort to recover the $500,000 in life savings he lost.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from an interview with former NFL player Tae Crowder, who detailed his investment losses and police report, as well as law enforcement authorities in Pennsylvania.