Is romance dead? Yeah, probably. There have never been more options for finding a mate – dating apps, Instagram DM slides, hanging out next to a gas station at 2am – but it’s also never been harder. Meeting someone who is compatible, stable, and even remotely attractive is akin to putting a square peg in a round hole. Blindfolded. From a mile away. Underwater. So, I can’t blame anyone for falling for an elaborate hoax like the one allegedly perpetrated by Daejon Love.
Love is now infamous around the world for allegedly posing as an NFL player in order to scam more than 20 women out of $1.3m. Now that Love and his alleged accomplice, Taylor Jamie Chen, have been charged by federal authorities, prosecutors are claiming they are a flight risk. They certainly seem like they have the money to flee the country. According to court documents, Love managed to fabricate an entire online persona as a San Francisco 49ers player – posting photos and videos in Niners gear, posing with expensive cars, and even performing football drills (badly) to bolster the alleged grift. Love allegedly used AI to trick search engine results to add credibility to his claims on football success with the 49ers. There’s even a video of Love running wide receiver routes on the beach. In a helmet. Do real NFL players carry their helmets in the car, just in case? You never know when you may risk a concussion while laying in the sand.
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The FBI claims Love enticed women into romantic correspondence, then asked them for money to place into “lucrative investments.” In one of many videos obtained by TMZ, Love states he was looking for “genetically superior women.” Then again, aren’t we all?
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I feel awful for anyone who lost money in this alleged scam, but I can’t help but wonder why “NFL player” was the choice for this particular scheme. There’s no definitive data on the average career lifespan for an NFL player, but The Athletic cited a 2011 conference call by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell saying the average career length was around six years. Obviously, in practice, a football career could be much longer … or much shorter. Injuries, declining skill, and team compatibility can affect how long someone could last in the league. Football may be a glamorous occupation, but it’s not exactly one with a ton of job security.
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On top of that, while a player can make a lot of money during their career, it’s not guaranteed to be enough to live on for the rest of their lives, especially if, as Love claimed, that money gets spent on Lamborghinis and multiple houses that sit mostly empty. Sports Illustrated reported that the mean NFL salary is $5.2m, but that figure is inflated by stars like Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow who earn more than $50m a year – the median salary is much lower and the rookie minimum is $840,000. Love presented a Pro Bowler lifestyle, but most NFL players don’t make the Pro Bowl. For a player who isn’t a huge star, once you take agent fees and taxes out of the equation, a five- or six-year career won’t guarantee a luxurious lifestyle in retirement. That’s why you see former athletes owning and operating car dealerships or getting into sales. I can think of numerous professions with more longevity and security: Wall Street analyst, house painter, horse trainer. Maybe not White House Press Secretary, but that’s probably not the ideal job to scam people with anyway.
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I’d like to believe most people are aware of the NFL pay scale, but sadly, they’re not. Romance is a mysterious, elusive thing, and very few things are more seductive than wealth. Society is well past the days when financial security is explicitly the reason for getting together with someone, but it’s still there, especially among women looking for men, the demographic Love was allegedly targeting. This is why my dating app profile is just photos of my washer and dryer. What says “secure provider” more than that? Maybe a thermostat set to a luxurious 70F?
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As wonderful as central air can be, it’ll never beat a Lambo and a Richard Mille watch. Even if the NFL isn’t the permanent wealth generator many believe, it’s still more attractive than what most of us can offer. Don’t blame the alleged victims of Daejon Love. We all want to win the love lottery. Who can say no if someone thinks a winning ticket just fell in their lap?
