Ex-Tennessee WR, NIL Trailblazer Grant Frerking Accused of Fraud in Shocking Allegations

Former Tennessee wide receiver Grant Frerking was once one of the coolest stories in college football. A walk-on for the Volunteers, he joined the team in 2017. Despite not playing meaningful football for UT, Ferking made a name for himself as one of the first college athletes to profit off of NIL.

Frerking created his own landscaping company, Metro Straw, and in 2021, under the new NIL rules, he was legally allowed to use his football career to help his business profit. After he graduated, Frerking left Metro Straw and joined On3 to cover NIL.

However, in a major twist, Ferking allegedly was still taking payments from customers despite not working for the landscaping business.

Former Tennessee Wide Receiver Grant Frerking Accused of Fraud

As first reported by Knox News, after leaving Metro Straw, Frerking continued to ask customers for up-front payments, and did not deliver the landscaping that those customers paid for.

These accusations have led the Milton Police Department, located in Georgia, to investigate Frerking for “theft by deception,” another term for fraud.

According to court records and the East Tennessee publication, this isn’t the first time Frerking has been in legal financial trouble this year. A Tennessee judge also ordered him to pay over $16,000 in missing rent payments on two apartments in Nashville.

On top of all of this, there is even more drama surrounding the former Tennessee wide receiver, as he is now being accused of working for the Tennessee football program while covering NIL events for On3, which would be a major conflict of interest.

According to Outkick, Frerking would often be on the road at schools holding events to promote On3 while also consulting for Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel. While this isn’t against the law, morally, it raises a lot of questions.

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On3’s owner, Shannon Terry, shared this message on social media Thursday night, claiming that he and the company had no knowledge of Frerking’s employment with the Vols.

“On3 had no knowledge of this relationship. Grant was explicitly instructed not to engage, either directly or indirectly, with the University of Tennessee or its associated collective. On multiple occasions during his employment, he was asked to confirm compliance with this directive, and he repeatedly denied any involvement. These representations were false.”

He concluded with a powerful statement. “He lied to us.”

As for the fraud claims, Frerking has not yet been charged with anything, but as previously mentioned, the Milton Police Department has launched an investigation into the allegations.

It’s a twist that not many saw coming from a once beloved and admired figure in college football.