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N.O. man accused of trying to extort money from Tyrann Mathieu

The suspect allegedly threatened Mathieu and his family if he didn't give him $1.5 million

A New Orleans man was arrested after allegedly attempting to extort $1.5 million from NFL star Tyrann Mathieu.

According to court documents, Geourvon Sears, a family member, threatened Mathieu over the phone, saying he would go to the media with accusations of sexual misconduct if he wasn’t paid.

Mathieu is identified only as TM, a professional athlete and a member of “Era Nation,” Mathieu’s youth mentoring organization, in the court documents.

The NFL player initially blocked Sears on his phone, but Sears reached out to other people close to Mathieu with similar threats, according to the affidavit.

“5 MILLION BY FRIDAY IM DONE TALKING EMAILING TMZ NOW,” one message allegedly said.

“I WANT 1.5 MILLION BY FRIDAY OR I AM GOING TO KILL ALL YOU ALL,” another said, according to court documents.

Mathieu and two unidentified victims listed in the affidavit believed Sears was capable of carrying out the violent threat and went to the police.

Mathieu's representative with EAG Sports Management sent a statement to Eyewitness News saying "This issue is a private and personal family matter that Tyrann has been dealing with involving a family member with a Mental Health Crisis. Tyrann Appreciates everyone's concerns but he and his family are fine and will continue to deal with this privately."

Mathieu is a New Orleans native and former St. Augustine and LSU football player. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals and spent last season playing for the Houston Texans before signing a one-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs for the upcoming NFL season.

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