Tulane QB TJ Finley alleges Facebook scam led to arrest over stolen car
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.
It was registered to a different vehicle belonging to Finley, and the truck was linked to an identification number of a Dodge Ram that was reported as stolen in Atlanta.
On Thursday, Finley’s attorneys, David Courcelle and Scott Stansbury, released a statement that claims the former QB for both LSU and Auburn had been scammed on Facebook Marketplace.
“TJ Finley was a victim of a Facebook Marketplace scam,” the statement read. “He purchased a used pickup truck from an individual who presented himself as John Spillway, representing Mountain Adventures, LLC. Spillway presented TJ with both a bill of sale and registration, giving TJ every reason to believe the purchase was legitimate. Within three days of the purchase, Tulane police 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.
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