It’s been a busy few days for Auburn quarterback TJ Finley.
Less than 48 hours after signing a NIL deal with Amazon, Finley was arrested on a charge of trying to elude the police. Finley turned himself in to Auburn police late Thursday morning after being informed that a warrant was issued for his arrest. The charge stems from an earlier traffic violation in which Finley was cited for failure to wear a helmet while riding a moped.
Finley’s attorney, David Whittelsey, claimed that the charges facing his client were a result of ‘traffic violations and misunderstanding’. Whilst attempting to play down the issue, Whittelsey also divulged that Finley had been released on a bond he signed for himself. Finley later attended the Auburn athletics complex later that afternoon.
Highs & Lows
Only two days ago, Auburn quarterback TJ Finley was in the news for the right reasons. The junior became the first college football player to sign a NIL deal with Amazon, releasing a range of products on the e-commerce site. A big social media following led his NIL value to be amongst the top 300 CFB players, according to On3.
Today, the future of Finley is uncertain. Auburn were made aware of the incident prior to his booking. And according to observers, there seemed to be little evidence of any drama at camp:
T.J. Finley just walked out of the Auburn football complex, talking with teammates outside. If you didn’t know the news, you’d think everything was normal with him.
— Justin Hokanson (@_JHokanson) August 4, 2022
Finley is currently locked in a battle for the quarterback job for the Tigers. The experience he gained last year stepping in for Bo Nix would appear to give him an advantage. But Texas A&M transfer Zach Calzada appears to be the favourite to eventually supplant Finley as the starter. We may learn more quite soon, with head coach Bryan Harsin due at a press conference later on Thursday. WDE!