Sure! Here’s a paraphrased version of the article:
Tulane University quarterback T.J. Finley has been suspended from the football team following his arrest earlier this week on a charge of possessing stolen property valued over $25,000. His legal team claims he was duped through a social media scam.
Court documents indicate the case centers on a Dodge Ram reported stolen in Atlanta. Finley, 23, was taken into custody on Wednesday after Tulane campus police responded to a call about a truck blocking a driveway on South Claiborne Avenue. Officers discovered the vehicle’s license plate matched one registered to a different car owned by Finley. They also confirmed, via the National Crime Information Center, that the truck’s VIN matched a vehicle listed as stolen.
Finley allegedly told officers he had recently purchased the truck in Atlanta. He made his first court appearance Wednesday in Orleans Parish Magistrate Court and is scheduled to appear again on June 1. He was released on his own recognizance.
Tulane confirmed Finley’s suspension on Thursday but declined to share further details due to federal privacy laws.
Finley’s attorneys, David Courcelle and Scott Stansbury, stated that he believed the truck purchase was legitimate, claiming he bought it through Facebook Marketplace from a man identifying himself as “John Spillway” of Mountain Adventures, LLC. According to the attorneys, Finley received what appeared to be valid documents, including a bill of sale and registration.
“Finley plans to fully cooperate with investigators and hopes to recover his money, bring the perpetrator to justice, and clear his name,” the statement said.
A Ponchatoula High graduate, Finley has played for LSU, Auburn, Texas State, and Western Kentucky before transferring to Tulane in December 2024.
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