
Irving Fryar was a receiver who played a remarkable 17 years for four teams in the NFL.
An All-American from the University of Nebraska, Fryar was the first overall selection in the 1984 NFL Draft.
A year later, he was playing in Super Bowl XX for the New England Patriots.
Happy Birthday, Irving Fryar! Fryar played for 17 seasons in the NFL, 9 of them were with the Patriots. pic.twitter.com/aYsYrLH3gE
— Patriots Alumni (@NEPAC) September 28, 2018
Fryar had a talent for making big plays when his team needed him most.
Unfortunately, he also had a knack for getting himself into serious trouble.
Several times during his early career, Fryar was in the news for various issues that painted him as one of the NFL’s bad boys.
Just when he was at his lowest, Fryar became a born-again Christian and studied to become a minister.
He suddenly became a leader in the locker room and the community and helped change the lives of many people for the better.
Then, in 2015, Fryar’s public persona took a huge blow when he was found guilty of a mortgage scam.
This is the complicated story of Irving Fryar.
Tumultuous Upbringing in New Jersey
Irving Dale Fryar Sr. was born on September 28, 1962, in Mount Holly Township, New Jersey.
On September 28, 1962, Irving Fryar, NFL wide receiver (five-time Pro Bowler, New England Patriots' All-1980's and 50th Anniversary teams, 851 receptions/12,785 yards/84 touchdowns, #1 pick in the 1984 Draft, University of Nebraska), is born in Mount Holly Township, New Jersey. pic.twitter.com/UnBki88MpT
— MMJYBBJWIdols (@MMJYBBJWIdols) September 29, 2020
Before he became a megawatt sports star, Fryar’s early life was filled with rage, violence, and bloodshed.
Fryar’s parents regularly attended church, and his father, David, sang in the church choir as well as in a traveling gospel choir group.
However, appearances can be deceiving.
David Fryar may have been a pious man on the outside, but inside, he was a powder keg ready to blow.
Oftentimes, the elder Fryar would return home from work filled with alcohol and take his frustrations out on Irving’s mother, Allene.
Irving would try and intervene only to get a piece of what his father was dishing out.
These volatile interactions were so prominent in the Fryar household that Irving believed it was a normal part of life.
“I thought that’s how all families were,” Fryar commented in 1995. “I never thought anything was wrong with mine.”
Gang Life
In addition to the lack of a male role model at home, Irving was bullied because of his name.
His sisters were named “Faith” and “Hope.” Fryar never understood why his mother would name him “Irving.”
It didn’t help that he wanted to be viewed as a tough guy in Mount Holly. “Irving” wasn’t exactly a name that struck fear in the hearts of the locals.
“Sometimes I think my mother named me that ’cause she was mad at me for not being a girl,” Fryar said.
In an attempt to gain more street cred for himself, Fryar joined a gang called G-Town (short for Ghetto Town).
His gang nickname was “Swift” because he was a fast runner.
Swift and his buddies looked for trouble anywhere they could find it, armed with only their fists and baseball bats.
Prep Football and Baseball Star
When he wasn’t bloodying someone’s face with his fists, Fryar played sports for Rancocas Valley Regional High.
Swift was a speedy receiver and tight end for the Red Devils. He became well-known in the New Jersey area for his athletic ability.
“There wasn’t anything that kid couldn’t do,” said Bill Gordon, Fryar’s football coach at Rancocas High. “He could play any position beautifully. I should’ve let him play quarterback. Stupid me, I didn’t.”
Not only did Fryar shine on the gridiron, but he was a stud on the diamond as well, attracting the attention of MLB teams such as the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Eagles' selected former Rancocas Valley Red Devil Shaun Bradley, a Temple linebacker, at No. 196.
Same high school that produced Irving Fryar, Franco Harris and Alonzo Spellman.
— Reuben Frank (@RoobNBCS) April 25, 2020
Near the end of his prep career, Fryar waded through the piles of scholarship offers from countless schools. Finally, he chose Tom Osborne and the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
Trouble Follows Fryar to College

Fryar arrived in Lincoln, Nebraska, in the summer of 1980 and joined an already talented Cornhuskers roster.
Center Dave Rimington and running back Roger Craig were two of the rising offensive stars that powered Osborne’s run-based team.
As good as he was, Fryar barely saw the field as a freshman, netting only two rushing attempts in 1980.
The following year, running back Mike Rozier arrived from Coffeyville Community College.
Rozier had played prep ball in Camden, New Jersey, and was familiar with Fryar.
30 days….
Mike Rozier, Nebraska (1981-83) pic.twitter.com/UoksMr4mn9— collegefootballguy (@cfootballguy24) July 25, 2019
The two began hanging out and quickly became known as the “Jersey Jets.”
Their nickname came from the fact that the duo was fast on the football field and equally as fast off it.
During the 1981 season, Fryar got just enough playing time to snag three passes and a touchdown as well as 26 rushing yards and a rushing score while Rozier had more than 1,000 yards rushing and five scores for 9-3 Nebraska.
When they weren’t playing football, Fryar and Rozier raced around town in one of Fryar’s three vehicles.
Fryar also continued to let his anger get the best of him, usually at the expense of his girlfriend or pets.
“He had such a temper,” remembers Martha Florence, Fryar’s girlfriend at Nebraska. “He had these two Dobermans, and he’d get angry at them and just fling them against the wall. I think he underestimated how much pressure would be on him playing college football.”
Fryar exacerbated his anger issues by using drugs, especially cocaine, and alcohol.
“I know I was dirty,” Fryar admitted in 1995. “I know I was filled with drugs, filled with lies, filled with alcohol.”
Success Despite Off-Field Issues
There is no denying that Fryar was making a mess of his life whenever he didn’t have his uniform on.
When he did suit up for the Huskers, especially in 1982 and 1983, Fryar made a mess of opposing secondaries.
In 1982, the junior became an All-Big-8 second-team member when he posted 24 receptions for 346 yards, two touchdowns, 245 rushing yards, and two more scores.
Former Nebraska star Irving Fryar convicted in mortgage scam. http://t.co/t1g0yHj8JR pic.twitter.com/TgG3XHQ9MW
— World-Herald Huskers (@OWHhuskers) August 7, 2015
That year also happened to be the official beginning of the Turner Gill era for Nebraska.
A year after receiving limited playing time, Gill was the Huskers’ full-time quarterback in 1982 and passed for more than 1,000 yards and rushed for almost 500.
Meanwhile, Rozier had more than 1,800 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns to help power 12-1 Nebraska.
In the 1983 Orange Bowl against LSU, both Rozier and Gill scored touchdowns as Nebraska beat the Tigers, 21-20.
All-American
As exciting as the 1982 season was for Nebraska fans, 1983 was downright exhilarating.
Nearly a decade before Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin, and Troy Aikman became the Dallas Cowboys “Triplets,” the Cornhuskers had their own version in ’83.
#ScoringExplosion '83 Nebraska #Huskers '84* #1 #NFL Mike Rozier, 28-2 #Big8 Turner Gill & '84 #1 #NFL Irving Fryar. pic.twitter.com/iSTmuWXBs4
— Lamont Epp (@lrepp33) December 11, 2015
That year, Fryar, Rozier, and Gill made mincemeat of the opposition on the way to an undefeated regular season.
Each of the three players was gifted in his own way.
Gill had 1,500 passing yards and more than 500 rushing yards while Rozier hammered would-be tacklers, racking up 2,295 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns.
Happy Birthday Irving Fryar, Nebraska Cornhuskers. As a senior, Fryar ranked 2nd in the conference in all-purpose yardage, 5th in punt returns avr, 6th in receiving yds & 8th in scoring. @HuskerFBNation #Cornhuskers #Huskers #CollegeFootball @SSN_Nebraska @ClintKPoppe pic.twitter.com/hB3PfvsFFv
— History of College Football (@HistColFootball) September 28, 2022
When he wasn’t running the ball, Gill found Fryar 40 times for 780 yards and eight touchdowns.
Fryar also added 318 yards and three scores rushing.
After his senior season, Fryar was named a first-team All-American, first-team All-Big-8, and was second in the Big-8 Conference in all-purpose yards.
More Issues for Fryar
In the days leading up to Nebraska’s date with the Miami Hurricanes in the Orange Bowl, Fryar found time to partake in cocaine and alcohol, according to Florence.
“I was always thinking he was bipolar. He came across as a really nice guy, but once you challenged him or crossed him, all hell broke loose,” Florence said. “He was hair-trigger and really obsessive. The same qualities that made him a really good player made him a really icky human.”
During the Orange Bowl, the Huskers and Canes were involved in a barn burner.
Miami took a 17-0 lead after the first quarter, but Nebraska clawed back to make it 17-14 at halftime.
The Hurricanes scored twice in the third quarter before the Cornhuskers came back in the fourth.
With only seconds remaining, Gill pitched the ball to running back Jeff Smith for a touchdown, leaving Miami only a point ahead at 31-30.
January 2, 1984: On this day 39 years ago, the University of Miami upset #1 Nebraska 31-30 in the 1984 Orange Bowl to win its first national championship. Miami safety Kenny Calhoun deflects a Turner Gill 2-point conversion pass intended for running back Jeff Smith. pic.twitter.com/gcHqAGnI2n
— Dolfan Derek (@Dolfin55) January 2, 2023
All that was left was for Nebraska to kick the point after attempt, and the game would have ended in a tie.
However, since there was no option for overtime, Osborne elected to go for two and get the win.
Unfortunately, Gill’s pass to Smith was broken up, and the ‘Canes won the contest. In the process, Miami prevented Nebraska from winning the national title.
A few years later, writer Armen Keteyian wrote a tell-all book about the Cornhuskers called Big Red Confidential: Inside Nebraska Football.
Keteyian noted that, in addition to his temper and drug and alcohol abuse, Fryar was a well-known gambler.
“I wouldn’t doubt anything said about him,” said FBI agent William Ouseley, who investigated Fryar.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h98_beH9V_8
In fact, there were allegations that Fryar dropped a catchable ball during the 1984 Orange Bowl on purpose to help decide the outcome (although Fryar was never charged).
Fryar Heads to New England

Apparently, all the whispers and innuendos of Fryar’s off-field behavior in college did nothing to affect his draft position in 1984.
With the first overall pick in the 1984 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots selected Fryar.
38 years ago today….Irving Fryar was the #1 pick in the 1984 NFL Draft….He would've never been that if the USFL guys were available….. pic.twitter.com/g5NvwC0gNG
— PolyesterPalace (@PolyesterPalace) May 1, 2022
That made him just the second receiver ever to be selected as the first overall pick after San Francisco took Dave Parks in 1964.
“I knew it was a big deal being drafted first, but I didn’t quite know the magnitude of it,” Fryar said.
During his rookie year, Fryar experienced an upheaval with the coaching staff when coach Ron Meyer was fired after a 5-3 start, and former NFL receiver Raymond Berry took over for the rest of the year.
Fryar also went from Turner Gill throwing him the pigskin to the duo of Steve Grogan and Tony Eason.
Despite the internal team issues, the Patriots were able to cobble together a 9-7 record while Fryar caught 11 balls for 164 yards and a touchdown in ’84.
1985

Thankfully, New England got its issues worked out in 1985.
Grogan and Eason still swapped starts consistently, but the Pats had Craig James and Mosi Tatupu in the backfield, Fryar and Stanley Morgan at receiver, and John Hannah holding down the fort on the offensive line.
#OTD in 1985, the #Patriots beat the #Bills 17-14. Irving Fryar's 85 yard punt return for a TD was the NFL's longest that season pic.twitter.com/3EKn5NfVDh
— Pats Historian (@PatsHistorian) September 22, 2017
Fryar caught 39 passes for 670 yards and seven touchdowns. He added another score rushing and had a career-high 520 punt return yards and an NFL-best two punt returns for touchdowns.
After the regular season, he was selected to his first Pro Bowl and was named a second-team All-Pro.
More Headlines for Fryar
New England took an 11-5 record into the playoffs and beat the Jets and Raiders in the first two rounds.
Then, just before the team faced Miami in the AFC Championship game, the team announced that Fryar would miss the contest due to a cut on his hand caused by an accident at home.
Less than a week after the Patriots’ victory over the Dolphins, Fryar had allegedly sustained the cut during an altercation with his wife, Jacqueline, who was pregnant at the time.
Fryar denied that he had been stabbed by his wife.
”We have our misunderstandings,” Fryar said, ”but what happened that was in the paper was not true. I didn’t beat her up, and she didn’t stab me. There was a misunderstanding. Maybe why I cut my hand was a result of an argument. But there was no beating up and there was no stabbing…. I’d rather not get into details. Please.”
Fryar then elaborated that he was looking forward to getting past the issue and facing the Chicago Bears in the Super Bowl.
”I was told this is a blessing in disguise,” he said. ”It’s not what happened, it’s what you do about it. I just want to be known when I die as a good husband and a good father. And that’s it.”
New England Falls Short

By the morning of Super Bowl Sunday, the team had cleared Fryar to play against Chicago.
”I said, ‘The doctor said I can play,”’ Fryar recalled he told Coach Berry. ”He said, ‘Great. We need you.’ That’s all he said. That made my day. Now I feel I’m part of the team again.”
Putting the knife incident behind him, Fryar focused on playing against a Bears defense that was first in the NFL in 1985.
Oddsmakers didn’t give New England much of a chance against 15-1 Chicago. They installed the Pats as 10-point underdogs before the contest.
Then, shortly into the game, a Walter Payton fumble led to a New England field goal and an improbable 3-0 Patriots lead.
Alas, that would be the best news all day for New England fans as the Bears proceeded to light up the Pats with 44 unanswered points.
With the outcome assured, and the Bears leading 44-3, Grogan found Fryar for an eight-yard score late in the game to cut Chicago’s lead to 44-10.
Super Bowl XX🏈 pic.twitter.com/9xbX3WxzYH
— Goat Jerseys (@GoatJerseys) February 14, 2022
Minutes later, Henry Waechter sacked Grogan in the end zone for a safety and an eventual 46-10 Bears victory.
The Patriots’ embarrassing showing in Super Bowl XX became even worse two days later.
Various media outlets reported that Fryar was one of five Patriots players who had used drugs during the 1985 season.
Furthermore, after a loss against the Dolphins during the year, Fryar and several other teammates attended an all-night party where drugs were used.
More of the Same
Fryar returned in 1986 without any repercussions from the media reports the previous January.
Incidents involving Irving Fryar in 1986 included:
– Getting stabbed by his pregnant wife;
– Confessing drug use to his coach;
– Being investigated by the league for betting on games;
– Being sued for assault;
– Crashing his car during a gamehttps://t.co/njZ8qC8o1t— Quirky Research (@QuirkyResearch) October 12, 2022
He was cruising through the season with 43 receptions, 737 yards, and six touchdowns when he separated a shoulder during the first half of a game against the Buffalo Bills in Week 12.
Fryar went to New England’s locker room to get treatment and decided to take the rest of the day off.
While his teammates were playing the second half of the game against Buffalo, Fryar was driving home and crashed his car into a tree.
He later told police that he had been talking on his vehicle’s mobile phone and wasn’t paying attention to where he was going.
New England returned to the playoffs after another 11-5 season in 1986 but lost to Denver in the Divisional round.
Lack of Team Success Leads to More Legal Trouble for Fryar
After the Patriots’ Super Bowl year in 1985, Fryar strongly believed there would be plenty more chances to play in the league’s biggest game.
“When we went to the Super Bowl my second year, I was expecting that kind of stuff to happen all of my career,” Fryar said. “I was expecting it because I was successful as a team and as an individual at Nebraska. I didn’t know that the NFL wasn’t like college yet, that it was a whole different ball game. It really was a special thing that we did that particular year coming in as a Wild Card team and making it to the Super Bowl.”
Little did he know how rare that occurrence is for some teams.
For the next few seasons, Fryar would establish himself as one of the NFL’s best receivers even though it seemed like the Pats had a different quarterback every year.
Along with Grogan and Eason, signal callers such as Tom Ramsey, Doug Flutie, Marc Wilson, Hugh Millen, and Jeff Carlson threw passes his way.
Irving Fryar. He caught an 80 yard TD pass on the Patriots, 1st offensive play, in their win over the Bears in Oct. 1988 #Dr.IrvingFryar #Patriots #firstplay @FullPressBears @ChicagoBears @dabearsblog @dabears pic.twitter.com/Vr26ZyzNbn
— PatsStatManBob (@PatsStatManBob) October 18, 2022
The result was Fryar getting just a little more than 30 receptions each year until the 1990–1992 seasons when he had 54, 68, and 55 receptions, respectively.
“It wasn’t any use,” Fryar sighed. “The ball just wasn’t going to get there.”
New England’s lack of success on the field put Fryar into a funk, and the spotlight shone on him several more times for the wrong reasons.
In 1988, he was pulled over and found to have a hunting knife, a loaded shotgun, and a loaded pistol in his car.
During the 1990 season, Fryar went out with fellow Pats receiver Hart Lee Dykes to a nightclub and the two got into a brawl with other patrons.
At one point, Fryar ran to his vehicle, got a pistol, and returned to the fight.
Police arrived after someone hit Fryar in the back of the head, and the officers arrested the receiver for carrying an unlicensed weapon.
A Trade Helps Turn Fryar’s Career Around

In 1993, Fryar was about to begin his tenth NFL season, and he didn’t like what his career had amounted to.
Just two seasons earlier, he finally had his first 1,000-yard receiving year.
Fryar lamented whether he would ever hit that magic number again until he received the good news the team had traded him to the Miami Dolphins for draft picks.
Overnight, he went from uncertainty in the Patriots’ quarterback room to playing with Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino.
“I had been trying to get out of New England for years,” said Fryar in 2020. “Every time we played Miami, going back six years, I would go up to Coach Shula after the game and tell him, ‘coach, you’ve got to get me out of here.’ It was a pleasure to be able to come down there.”
Playing with an all-pro quarterback did wonders for Fryar over the next few seasons.
Random quality Dolphins player WR Irving Fryar (1993-95) pic.twitter.com/HkMCoaEwFu
— Dolphins History (@DolphinsHistory) August 24, 2021
During the ’93 season, he caught 64 passes for 1,010 yards and five scores. Voters also sent him to his second Pro Bowl.
Then, in the 1994 season opener against Fryar’s former team, the receiver helped Miami to a 39-35 victory over New England.
Dolphins standout WR Irving Fryar (93-95). 2X Pro Bowler had 20 TD in 3 years, with 84 in career. Monster 94 opener with 5-211 & 3TD vs Pats pic.twitter.com/MK5G4tyss7
— Dolphins History (@DolphinsHistory) March 19, 2017
During the contest, Fryar had 211 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
“I knew those guys, I played with those guys,” Fryar said. “I knew I could outrun all of them. I didn’t have to give them any moves, I didn’t have to do a whole lot. I knew once I got an opportunity to be one-on-one with any of them, and Dan knew that too because I told him that I could outrun them, that I could turn it on.”
After catching 73 passes for 1,270 yards and seven touchdowns in 1994, Fryar received another Pro Bowl invite and a second-team All-Pro nod.
The Dolphins went 10-6, beat Kansas City, and lost to San Diego in the playoffs.
“Rev”
At roughly the same time Marino was lifting Fryar’s playing career to new heights, the pass-catcher was experiencing a revival off the field.
The altercation Fryar and Dykes got into in 1990 became a turning point in his life.
After sitting in jail for a night, Fryar returned home and was at rock bottom.
“Here I was, a guy who was supposed to have everything in the world, and I had nothing,” he said in 1995. “No peace. No joy. I had absolutely no place to go.”
Not long after, Fryar attended a church service and liked how he felt as the choir sang and the preacher bellowed truths about the gospel.
It struck Fryar as odd that he enjoyed being at church, especially since he had been repulsed by the actions of his father during his youth.
“Church didn’t mean anything to me,” Fryar said. “Not when you’d see people act one way in church and another at home.”
Fryar continued attending church and began to turn his life around.
He soon began taking classes at North Carolina College of Theology where he eventually obtained a doctorate.
By the time he became a Dolphin, Fryar was leading church services, and younger players were calling him “Rev” (short for reverend).
Been looking for this for a while and found it – me and Irving Fryar, May ‘96 I believe. I had just interviewed him after he spoke at a local church. #FinsUp pic.twitter.com/juhitG3wN2
— Just Tom! #LGM & 🐬⬆️ (@Hotstover) March 7, 2021
He committed himself to helping others heal and found time to spend with at-risk youth and sick children.
His sermons got congregants so worked up that many approached him during service to be saved.
Eventually, Fryar began his own church and committed himself to the Lord’s service.
“This is a far greater challenge than going across the middle,” Fryar said. “Being the pastor of a church and leading people and understanding the responsibility that comes along with that in that when I stand before God, I’m going to have to give an account not just for my own life and my wife and my children, but I’m also going to have to give an account for the lives in the church that I’ve preached to, that I’ve taught, that I’ve touched. It’s the greatest job in the world because you see lives changed. You see people moving from one place to a better place.”
Trade to Philly

After the 1994 season, the Dolphins voted Fryar as the team’s most inspirational player.
Then, in 1995, Fryar started 16 games for the third year in a row and produced 62 catches for 910 yards and eight touchdowns.
“Not many 34-year-olds can run as fast as he can,” said Marino. “Plus, he’s brought a good work ethic to the team. He’s good for motivation, good for the young players to look up to.”
Just when he was having a blast in Miami, the franchise let him become a free agent. Fryar signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1996.
“Irving’s been a top-flight receiver in this league for a long time and we’re happy to add him to our offensive mix,” head coach Ray Rhodes said. “He’s maintained the speed and toughness it takes to be a go-to receiver in this league, and he’s going to add a lot of stability and veteran leadership to our young group of receivers.”
With Rodney Peete and Ty Detmer throwing him the ball, Fryar caught a career-high 88 passes for 1,195 yards and 11 touchdowns (also a career-high).
Irving Fryar number of sleeps (since it’s late in the day) until @Eagles regular season football!! He was a five-time Pro Bowler, twice in his three seasons with the #Eagles. #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/CilaupACeJ
— Corner Pub Sports (@CornerPubSports) June 25, 2021
In 1997, Peete and Detmer tossed the pigskin to Fryar 86 times for a career-best 1,316 yards and six scores.
He earned a spot in the Pro Bowl after both seasons and received the NFL’s Bart Starr Award in 1998 for outstanding character and leadership.
Fryar Retires, then Returns
After catching 48 passes for 556 yards and two touchdowns in 1998, Fryar decided to call it a career.
“I’ve been thinking about the last 15 years and the fact that I’m able to walk away,” said Fryar during his retirement press conference.
During his press conference, Fryar also dispelled rumors that he might return to play with another team.
“I refuse to go somewhere else and play, “ said Fryar. “I’ve already moved my family twice.”
Eight months later, Fryar did return to play when he signed a three-year deal with the Washington Redskins.
“I really had gotten to a point where I really thought it was over,” Fryar said. “I was out with Channel 6 covering Eagles training camp and everything was fine. I didn’t have any desires to come back, but now I’m here and everything points to go.”
Fryar spent two years with Washington and started seven total games, resulting in 67 receptions and seven total touchdowns before retiring for good after the 2000 season.
Career Stats
During his career, Fryar caught 851 passes for 12,785 yards and 84 touchdowns.
He added 242 rushing yards and a rushing score as well as 2,055 punt return yards, three punt return touchdowns, and 505 kick return yards.
Fryar was a two-time All-Pro, five-time Pro Bowler, and a Bart Starr Award winner. Later, he was added to the Patriots All-1980s and 50th Anniversary Teams.
On October 20th, 1996 vs. Miami Dolphins, Eagles WR Irving Fryar had a team record-tying 4 TD catches. He is the oldest NFL player to have 4 TD catches in one game. Fryar had 11 TD catches in his first season with the Eagles, the most he had in any season in his career. pic.twitter.com/cE6GHsSEMD
— Philly By The Numbers (@Phillybynumbers) October 31, 2018
At the time of his retirement, Fryar owned NFL records including being the first player to score a touchdown in 17 straight seasons, catching touchdown passes from 19 different quarterbacks, and being the oldest player to score four receiving touchdowns in a single game (in 1996 when he was 34 years old).
Fryar Is Arrested for a Mortgage Scam
Now that he was done playing football, Fryar returned to Mount Holly and opened his own church, New Jerusalem House of God.
He spent the next decade preaching, saving souls, coaching high school football, and speaking at the NFL rookie symposium.
“He’s the most amazing man in my life,” his wife, Jacqui, said in 1995, “because I know how far he’s come.”
Then, in 2013, Fryar and his mother, Allene McGhee, were indicted on conspiracy to steal over $1 million between 2009 and 2010 by applying for several bank loans and only using McGhee’s home as collateral for each loan.
Former Eagle receiver Irving Fryar and his Mom found guilty of role in mortgage scam, faces up to 10 years in prison pic.twitter.com/iLX6daehGQ
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) August 7, 2015
Fryar and his mother applied for the loans in quick succession and also stated inflated income amounts for McGhee.
At the time, Fryar tried to explain that an investor named William Barksdale was taking advantage of him.
The case finally went to trial in 2015, and the court did not buy what Fryar was selling.
“This was not a situation where Fryar and his mother simply made a few misrepresentations on a mortgage application; they participated in an elaborate and devious scheme to defraud seven banks of more than $1 million,” said Director Elie Honig of the Division of Criminal Justice in New Jersey. “This was a major theft case, and it rightfully has landed Fryar in state prison.”
With that, Fryar’s inspirational redemption story came to a sad and disappointing conclusion.
Irving Fryar Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Role in Mortgage Scam #nfl http://t.co/ypXqV1Oz5v pic.twitter.com/mzKjD0w0hZ
— Levi Sharon (@ls1digital) October 3, 2015
He was sentenced to five years in prison while his mother was sentenced to three years probation.
A year before the verdict, Jacqui Fryar filed for divorce and took custody of the couple’s four children.
Authorities released Irving Fryar in June 2016 and placed him in a state supervision program.
References
https://www.si.com/nfl/2014/10/14/a-twist-in-irving-fryars-redemption-story
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irving_Fryar
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/skins-sign-fryer-three-years/
https://apnews.com/article/5d6b69ba7fe22bb7b4c69a12584a7495
https://apnews.com/article/7e02ebed9538f120a87e25fd4a04ed41
https://www.miamidolphins.com/news/irving-fryar-fins-flashback-1994-season-opener-vs-new-england
https://www.nytimes.com/1986/01/18/sports/fryar-works-out-with-the-patriots.html
https://www.patriots.com/news/alumni-spotlight-irving-fryar-86676
https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/irving-fryar-1.html
https://vault.si.com/vault/1995/06/05/extra-mustard
https://huskers.com/sports/football/roster/irving-fryar/11742
https://www.njsportsheroes.com/irvingfryarfb.html
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/F/FryaIr00.htm
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