Ex-NFL star who made $40 million scammed $300,000 out of women via dating platforms, cops say

A former NFL player who earned over $40 million throughout his career is accused of swindling $300,000 out of women he met on dating apps by pretending to have financial issues, authorities said.

Darryl “Buster” Skrine, a former cornerback for the Cleveland Browns and the New York Jets, faces 18 charges connected to what Georgia authorities are calling “an extensive financial fraud scheme.” The 36-year-old was booked into jail Wednesday and charged with deposit account fraud, identity fraud, financial transaction card fraud, theft by taking and criminal attempt to commit theft, the Roswell Police Department said.

Roswell police launched their investigation in July after a woman reported being financially exploited by Skrine.

Soon after, investigators learned that Skrine had been targeting multiple women whom he met on online dating platforms, and scammed at least three into giving him hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“Once he had established a relationship with them, Skrine would tell the victims a fictitious story about his financial troubles and ask them for money, promising to repay them from his NFL annuity,” police said.

Skrine used the women’s funds to expense his lavish lifestyle, including paying for Airbnb’s, travel and gift cards, police said.

Authorities have identified three victims who live in Wisconsin, North Carolina and New York and suffered a combined loss of approximately $300,000. Police suspect there are more victims who have yet to come forward.

When Skrine was in the NFL, from 2011 to 2022, he made over $40 million, according to sports website Spotrac.

During those 10 years, he played for five different teams, including the Browns, Jets, the Chicago Bears, the San Francisco 49ers, and the Tennessee Titans. It’s estimated he made over $25 million the four years he spent playing with the Jets, and about $11 million for the two years he played with the Bears.

Detectives served a search and arrest warrant at Skrine’s Roswell home on Wednesday, and he was arrested without incident.

Skrine is also wanted by Canadian authorities on similar, bank-fraud-related charges.

In August of 2023, the Durham Regional Police Service arrested him for over $100,000 in check fraud. In April of 2024, he was granted bail and placed on GPS monitoring, which he removed after fleeing back to the United States.

Roswell police say they are working to ensure Skrine answers for all of his charges in both countries.