Cowboys Legend Emmitt Smith Accused of Cheating Investor Out of $2.5 Million

Emmitt Smith had a Hall of Fame career, spent mostly with the Dallas Cowboys. Since his playing days ended, Smith has remained relatively busy. He's worked as an analyst, won Dancing With the Stars, has a commercial real estate firm, and founded an energy company called 4 13 Solutions.

That energy company, however, finds itself receiving some negative attention. Ben Horney of Front Office Sports reports that Smith's company is being sued by Kituwah LLC, which is the investment and economic development arm of the Band of Cherokee. Kituwah claims they entered into a project with Smith, and his business partner David Mosley, and invested $2.5 million.

The loan is reportedly two years old, but the Native American company says they have yet to receive even a penny. With the loan past due, Kituwah is suing for the original $2.5 million as well as "interest, costs, expenses, and any additional damages to be determined at trial."

According to the filings, the money was to be used as part of a solar farm, which has not been started. Instead, Kituwah is accusing Smith of running a scheme, while saying the money was used to pay debt to another firm. It's an unfortunate situation for anyone to get involved in, and hopefully there will be a quick resolution.

Emmitt Smith had legendary career with the Dallas Cowboys

Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith reacts after a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers during Super Bowl XXX. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Smith was the 17th overall pick in the 1990 NFL draft and some experts believed he might not be fast enough to make it in the league. He proved the doubters wrong in a hurry, rushing for 937 yards and 11 touchdowns as a rookie.

From there, Smith became a fixture in the Dallas offense and ran for more than 1,000 yards in 11 consecutive seasons. He also led the NFL in rushing yardage four times and was the rushing touchdown leader three times. Smith ended his Dallas tenure with 17,162 rushing yards and 153 touchdowns, both of which are franchise records.

He spent his final two years in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals, even rushing for 937 yards and nine touchdowns during his final campaign at age 35. He is still the league's all-time rushing leader with 18,355 yards and has the most rushing touchdowns with 164.

His longevity and durability helped him set those marks and it's difficult to see any back topping his numbers anytime soon.

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