Bryant McKinnie Owes $4.3 Million to Shady Loan Company

Bryan McKinnie is in dire financial straits. Celebrity website TMZ reports that the former Viking and current Raven owes $4.3 million to a shady loan company called Pro Player Funding, and they want all their money now.

McKinnie reportedly took out a $4 million loan with PPF just before the NFL lockout to cover his large financial needs. The loan was a very high risk proposition including a clause that allowed PPF to call in the entire amount if McKinnie ever failed to make a payment. Sadly for McKinnie, he missed a payment last August, and now PPF has won a court judgment ordering him to pay back the full amount of the loan plus interest for a total of $4.3 million.

How McKinnie ended up missing his payment is a sad story in and of itself. TMZ says McKinnie had it set up so his Viking paychecks would go straight to PPF. Only problem is, he got cut by the Vikings in camp and apparently forgot to take care of the loan payment. The note must’ve fallen off the front of the fridge? Darn crappy magnets.

The good news for McKinnie is, he’s still in the NFL earning large money. The Ravens recently gave him a $500,000 roster bonus and he’s set to make a total of $4.2 million this year if he meets all the terms of his contract. So, McKinnie has even more incentive than usual to keep his weight down and stay on the team. If professional pride wasn’t enough, a court judgment demanding payback of $4.3 million ought to be.

Chalk this up as a cautionary tale for young athletes looking to live the high life. Bryant McKinnie wouldn’t be in this pickle right now if he hadn’t taken out that ridiculous loan in the first place. Four million dollars? How long did he think the lockout would last? Everyone knew it would be over before the season started. So he needed the four million just to get through a few months? How much Cristal can one man drink? He could’ve easily made it through the lock out on half that amount. It might’ve meant firing a few members of his posse but, sometimes you just have to make the tough decisions.

Where’s Dave Chappelle when you need him?

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