Jevon Kearse, the former Titans and Eagles defensive end who played in the NFL for 11 seasons and earned about $45 million, is apparently struggling financially less than four years after receiving his last NFL paycheck.
The South Florida Business Journal reports that the IRS filed a tax lien against Kearse for $432,015 in November, and that a bank that granted Kearse a $5.25 million mortgage filed a lawsuit against him in December.
Kearse bought a 6,064-square-foot home for $6.05 million in 2004 and signed a $5.25 million mortgage on it two years later. Kearse bought the home shortly after receiving a $16 million signing bonus from the Eagles, so it’s odd that he ever needed to take out a mortgage -- or at least it would be odd if stories of athletes blowing their millions weren’t par for the course by now. Although Kearse hasn’t spoken publicly about his financial issues, the combination of the IRS and mortgage problems suggests that he’s broke.
As the Titans’ first-round draft pick in 1999, Kearse burst onto the scene as the league’s defensive rookie of the year, and he was a Pro Bowler in each of his first three seasons. Kearse made about $9 million on his rookie contract, about $30 million on the free agent contract he signed with the Eagles in 2004 and about $6 million on the contract he signed with the Titans in 2008.