The saga of Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Tyron Smith’s family difficulties has taken another twist.
Smith’s attorney, John Schorsch, claims that the player is missing up to $1 million and that he might pursue legal action against the family.
Earlier this week, Dallas police received a 911 call from Smith’s home after siblings, according to the police report, arrived to “harass and torment” him for “financial gain.”
Schorsch plans to have an accountant examine the players’ personal finances before possibly possibly seeking legal recourse.
“I’m not certain of the amount of money that’s gone,” Schorsch told The Dalas Morning News. “I would suggest to you that the numbers are in the seven digits that need to be accounted for. I don’t know how much of that, if any, is a legitimate gift and how much of that is squeezed out of him or how much of that is flat-out taken. And I know of the latter two categories it’s a bunch. I’m going to make sure all the money is justified and it’s not going to be pretty.”
But Smith’s mother, Frankie Pinkney, denied in a conversation with The Morning News that she took anything from her son without his permission or badgered him.
“I don’t know anything about any missing money,” she told the newspaper. “The money that we did receive from Tyron was all accounted for and everything is in writing, and he’s authorized all of it.”
Smith’s three stepsisters and two stepbrothers were among the people who came to his front door this week when the 911 call was made.
According to The Morning News, Pinkney blamed Smith’s girlfriend, Leigh Costa, for the disagreement and said Costa wouldn’t allow her family access to the home.
“Leigh reported that my daughters were threatening her and they were demanding money,” Pinkney said. “My daughters did not make any threats.”
Costa told The Morning News, “Nothing she’s saying is factual. I didn’t do anything. I’m a drive-by victim to his family’s chaos.”
Smith, the ninth overall pick in the 2011 draft, signed a four-year, $12.5 million contract in July 2011.
Smith has refused to comment this week about the situation.
Cowboys coach Jason Garrett told reporters Thursday that Smith isn’t showing signs of his off-field problems on the field.
“I think every player and every coach, really around this league, they have different things going on in their lives and you just have to come into work and do your job as best you can,” Garrett said.