Former Arizona Cardinals running back Beanie Wells has been named as the victim in an extortion case, according to a report.
Two men are accused in a federal case of attempting to extort Wells in an attempt to recoup money from a drug deal gone wrong. The men were allegedly put into touch with a Mexican drug dealer through Wells’ brother.
The men, Franklin Conley and Patrick Griffin, lost between $65,000-$125,000 in a drug deal when they paid a dealer money but received no product in return, per Cleveland.com. Looking to get some of that money back, they allegedly began texting Beanie and demanding he pay them between $65,000 and $175,000. They allegedly threatened the former running back. They likely figured that being a former NFL player and current broadcaster, Wells might have that type of money.
Conley pleaded not guilty to extortion and drug charges. Cleveland.com says he has been friends with Wells since childhood. Griffin pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act extortion, per the report.
Wells was a first-round pick by the Cardinals in 2009 after a stellar career at Ohio State. The Akron native scored 24 touchdowns during a brief NFL career and retired due to injuries.
