Three FBI agents questioned former NFL tight end Jeremy Shockey at his home in Miami during the first week of February, as part of an international drug and gambling probe, according to a report by the New York Post.
At the heart of the probe is accused ringleader Owen Hanson. Hanson—also a tight end—played college football at USC under then-coach Pete Carroll and won a national championship in 2004.
On Jan. 28 federal prosecutors in San Diego charged Hanson and 21 others with running a multimillion-dollar operation called ODOG Enterprise.
According to The Post, Hanson associated with numerous pro athletes from the NFL, MLB, and NBA—as well as police detectives.
Shockey was questioned because the FBI knew he and Hanson had traveled together to Costa Rica in 2010 and flew back and forth between Miami and Los Angeles—where Hanson lived. But Shockey said he didn’t know Hanson was into drugs or gambling.
“I thought he was in the real-estate business like me,” Shockey told The Post.
“I’m a straight businessman. I don’t hang out with drug dealers or prostitutes. I’m here with my girlfriend making out, and I get a knock on my door from these agents. I said to them, ‘Come on in. I got nothing to hide.’”
Shockey, a four-time Pro-Bowler with the New York Giants, said part of the questioning was how he had met Hanson.
“We met when I passed out at a pool party in Vegas—from dehydration. He came to Miami all the time. I treated him like a friend. I let him stay at my house. He loved to surf. We'd go to the gym together. We went to the same parties together.
“I thought he was a very smart, nice guy. He was single. He was so cool. He was on the phone all the time. He knew everybody—DJs, celebrities. Pete Carroll knows him. Reggie Bush knows him; they were teammates at USC. This guy had money. He had cash on him all the time. But I thought it was from his business. No one knew any of this [derogatory term omitted] was going on.”
A professional gambler going by the name Robin Hood 702 says he brought the case to the FBI, claiming Hanson’s organization came after him after he refused to launder $20 million in drug proceeds.
“I am the source that broke the case and I know the FBI will get to the bottom of this,” he told The Post. “Roger Goodell should start his own independent investigation of these allegations as well.”
