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Former Philadelphia Eagles player Wendell Smallwood is in hot waters. Federal prosecutors have indicted the retired running back, who could serve time behind bars.
According to court documents obtained by TMZ, Smallwood has been charged with three felonies: Wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and conspiracy to defraud the IRS. Federal prosecutors allege that the retired running back submitted fake documents on behalf of the businesses he owns to government relief programs during the COVID-19 pandemic to receive cashback.
If found guilty of all three charges, Smallwood faces a prison sentence that could be as long as 50 years. He's not entering a plea deal and will appear in court in the final week of December. His attorney, Mark B. Sheppard, told the Delaware News Journal they are confident he'll be acquitted:
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"Wendell has cooperated fully with this investigation. We will have more to say when we appear in December."
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Wendell Smallwood's history of trouble with the law
This isn't the first time Wendell Smallwood has been accused of a serious crime. In 2014, he was arrested on charges of witness tampering for reportedly telling a witness in the Manuel Oliveras murder case to recant their statement.
In 2012, Zakee Lloyd, the prime suspect and a friend of Smallwood, tried to rob Oliveras near a convenience store and shot him multiple times after he resisted and tried to sprint away from the scene. Lloyd was found guilty and sentenced to 22 years in prison.
Charges against Smallwood, who was studying criminology at West Virginia, were dropped after he cooperated with prosecutors and testified at the trial.
Wendell Smallwood career
After spending three years at West Virginia, Smallwood declared for the 2016 NFL draft. The Eagles drafted him in the fifth round. He spent three seasons with the franchise he grew up rooting for and was part of its Super Bowl 52-winning roster.
In August 2019, the Eagles waived the running back and the Washington Commanders claimed him. He spent a season with the team before joining the Pittsburgh Steelers for the 2020 season.
Smallwood had a week-long stint on the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad before signing a one-year deal with the Commanders. He was assigned to the practice squad and did not play in the regular season.
He played 53 games and rushed for 931 yards and five touchdowns. He also caught 56 passes for 452 yards and two touchdowns.
