DALLAS -- Former NFL quarterback Vince Young admitted under oath that he probably signed at least some of the documents for a $1.9 million loan he now says he shouldn't have to repay.
"All I know is I probably could have signed some of them, and I feel like some of them are fishy," he testified in a videotaped deposition last month.A copy of the deposition transcript was obtained by The Associated Press.Young, who has been out of football since he was cut by the Buffalo Bills before the start of the 2012 season, is fighting a $1.7 million judgment against him obtained by New York-based Pro Player Funding LLC last July after a payment was missed in May.The $1.877 million loan was taken out during the NFL lockout in May 2011 while Young was still under contract to the Tennessee Titans. The loan was due to be paid back in January at an annual interest rate of 20 percent, which could jump to 34 percent if Young missed a payment.The former University of Texas star has said he wasn't involved in seeking the high-interest loan and never got the proceeds.In the deposition, taken Dec. 13 in Houston, Young acknowledged that he probably signed some of the paperwork in the presence of a notary during a visit to the office of a Houston lawyer."I went to sign some papers that my financial adviser asked me to go over and sign, but I don't remember what it was," he testified.Asked by Pro Player's attorney if he bothered to request the documents in their entirety, Young replied: "No. I'd just go and sign and get out of there."In court filings last year, Young said he didn't recall signing the paperwork. If he did sign something, it happened without the corresponding loan information being made available to him, he said. He also said no notary was present.Young's attorney, Trey Dolezal, did not respond to requests for comment on the deposition.In the deposition, Young acknowledged that he never questioned why $1 million of the salary he earned from the Philadelphia Eagles during the 2011 season went directly from the team to repay Pro Player."I never have discussions about things like that when I'm playing football," he said. "I'm just too focused. ... Like I said, I put my trust in [his accountant] to find out what's going on and my lawyers to figure it out so I can focus on playing football."At one point, Pro Player attorney Sean Bellew asked Young whether he understood the significance of having a judgment against him."I'm not a lawyer, so I don't know nothing about this," he replied. "Only information I know is what my lawyer explains to me and lets me know what goes on. I'm just trying to figure it out myself."Young testified that he was "lied to" by advisers who falsely claimed to have put $5 million of his money in a "trust." He also acknowledged that he allowed people to have power of attorney over his affairs without understanding what that meant."If they do anything on your behalf, I thought they had to make sure it goes by you and I'm signing for it," he testified. "I didn't know that ... if they have a power of attorney, they can go do anything with your signature."Young has sued his former agent, Houston attorney Major Adams, and a North Carolina financial planner, Ronnie Peoples, claiming they misappropriated $5.5 million. The lawsuit, filed five days after the Pro Player loan went into default, also contends that Adams and Peoples obtained the loan for their own benefit.Adams and Peoples have denied wrongdoing, and Peoples has filed a countersuit in which he alleges that Young caused his money problems by overspending and allowing his uncle, a former middle school teacher, to oversee his finances.Attempts by Bellew to seek detailed information from Young about his current financial condition were repeatedly cut off by Dolezal."He's kept up with his bills," Dolezal said at one point. "And that's about as far as that's going to go."Financing statements reviewed by the AP show that Young was one of at least 16 current or former NFL players who obtained loans from Pro Player in 2011.Pro Player sued Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie last year over what the company said was more than $4.5 million in unpaid loans.That matter was settled in July, when McKinnie agreed to have 50 percent of his wages garnished during the 2012 season.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
