Former NFL athlete accused of vandalizing his restaurants with words like 'MAGA' and 'Monkey' to make it look like hate crime
A former NFL player has been accused of vandalizing a restaurant and an ice cream establishment he owns near Atlanta to make it all seem like a hate crime against him. According to the Gwinett County Police, words like "monkey", "MAGA" , the n-word along with swastikas were scribbled across the walls and booths of the two businesses called Create & Bake Pizza and Coughman’s Creamery in Lawrenceville.
The former athlete, identified as Edawn Coughman, of Buford, was taken into custody on Thursday on charges of false reporting of a burglary, and also insurance fraud alongside concealing a license plate before he was bailed out of jail, police told the Gwinett Daily Post.
The 31-year-old Coughman was reportedly signed from Shaw University to the Seattle Seahawks practice squad in 2012. He then spent parts of the following season with the Dallas Cowboys and the Buffalo Bills, reported the Gwinnett Daily Post on Friday. Two years later, in 2014, Coughman was claimed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and then signed by the Washington Redskins later that same season.
In a press release, the police have shared that an officer responded on Wednesday night to a 911 call about a man damaging Coughman's restaurant and ice cream shop, and allegedly getting away in a truck without a license plate. Upon investigating, the restaurant's rear door showed no signs of a break-in, and when officers finally pulled over the truck they found Coughman driving. The cops then learned that he was the owner of the businesses, and also found several TVs in his truck that seemed to have been ripped out of walls. The release also quotes Coughman saying that he had noticed the damages earlier in the day and had called his insurance company to report the alleged vandalism, but not 911.
"It's possible he was trying to stage this as a hate crime," Cpl. Michele Pihera told the Daily Post. "We don't know if he was trying to get attention for this. What we do know is, if that witness had not called us and if those officers had not responded as quickly as they did, we would probably be sitting here talking about a completely different crime in which Mr. Coughman would be trying to say he's a victim."
Meanwhile, Coughman maintained his innocence during an interview with Channel 2 Action News, saying he plans to fight the charges.
"I had good businesses going. I have nothing now," he said. "I'm innocent."
After news of his arrest quickly went national, Coughman was compared online to former “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett, who was accused of fabricating a hate-motivated attack in downtown Chicago. "You've seen online where you are compared to Jussie Smollett. How does that feel?" Winne asked. "I feel like it's disrespectful," Coughman said.