Former NFL Player Enters Guilty Plea For Paycheck Protection Fraud

Former Philadelphia Eagles running back Wendell Smallwood Jr. pleaded guilty to fraud.

A former Philadelphia Eagles running back has pleaded guilty to federal fraud after submitting fraudulent tax returns and applications for financial assistance from COVID-19 pandemic aid programs.

According to The Associated Press, Wendell Smallwood Jr. pleaded guilty to the charges on Friday, Dec. 20, in Delaware. A federal judge approved the plea deal. The former NFL player filed false tax returns for himself and others in 2021 and 2022. He was able to obtain refunds of about $110,000, prosecutors said.

Smallwood was originally charged with three fraud charges in October. He will learn his fate at his May 2025 sentencing.

His attorney, Mark Sheppard, told the Philadelphia Inquirer that the former running back appeared in court on Dec. 20 “and forthrightly took full responsibility for his actions. “He recognizes that this is but the first step to try to begin to make amends to the government and to those closest to him. He will continue to do so.”

Prosecutors accused him of using defunct or recently registered businesses and submitting false information about their operations. He falsified start dates, revenue amounts, expenses, and the number of employees for these businesses.

Smallwood used false information when he applied to the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program to get financial assistance for three businesses listed in his name. Prosecutors said the U.S. Small Business Administration approved those loans for more than $46,000.

In another instance, he submitted fraudulent applications under the names of at least 13 other people for another program, the Paycheck Protection Program. Smallwood received nearly $270,000 in loans and kickbacks in return for preparing and submitting the applications, based on what prosecutors stated.

Smallwood played for the Eagles after being drafted in 2016 after finishing his collegiate career at West Virginia University. During his NFL career, he also played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Washington Redskins.