NFLPA suspends agent charged in alleged swindle
The NFL Players Association has suspended agent Vinnie Porter's certification to represent players, according to Sports Business Daily.
Porter was arrested and charged along with New York-based financial advisor Joseph Vaccaro in January on a federal complaint accusing the men of telling their clients they needed $20 million to purchase 50 percent of 13 Burger King franchises located in Virginia.
The actual price for the deal was $16 million, and according to the complaint, Porter and Vaccaro, along with a third person working with the FBI as a confidential informant, would split the extra $4 million and then draw profits off their concealed part of the ownership.
In a statement, NFLPA assistant executive director of external affairs George Atallah said Porter's suspension "is effective through the resolution of the criminal complaints against him."
Atallah also said that the NFLPA will also investigate.
Porter was listed as the agent for New England Patriots tight end Brian Tyms and New York Giants linebacker Devon Kennard, among others. He used to be the agent of Patriots running back Jonas Gray, but Porter told The Smoking Gun last month that Gray recently fired him.
In recordings cited in the court filings, the informant asked Porter and Vaccaro if they were "cool not disclosing, not telling, lying, whatever you want to call it, about the kickbacks, the structure, anything like that."
Porter is heard on the recordings saying, "Yeah, we’d all be committing suicide."
- Molly Geary
