TJ Finley vows to return to college football in the very near future. The 23-year-old quarterback was arrested on campus at Tulane on Wednesday in possession of a stolen vehicle.
It appears as though he got got.
Finley, who began his college football career at LSU in 2020, has since played for Auburn, Texas State and Western Kentucky. This upcoming season will be his final year of eligibility. He will compete with Donovan Leary and Kadin Semonza for the starting job in New Orleans. However, the competition is currently put on hold amid the ongoing legal saga. The Green Wave issued him an indefinite suspension while things get figured out.
Head coach Jon Sumrall was unable to comment further on the matter.
Tulane coach Jon Sumrall gives a statement on the suspension of QB TJ Finley from the football program.
— Garland Gillen (@garlandgillen) April 3, 2025
Finley was arrested for illegally possessing a stolen item worth more than $25,000. According to court documents, he told authorities he had just bought the car from Atlanta. pic.twitter.com/B7pmITKusP
According to the police report, Finley was arrested by campus police in the 6300 block of South Claiborne Avenue in possession of a stolen item. The stolen item is a vehicle. The vehicle is worth more than $25,000.
Court documents say that Finley told authorities that he had just bought the car from Atlanta. His Instagram post in response to the incident alludes to an unfortunate misunderstanding. He vows to be back on the field as soon as possible. Don’t believe everything you hear, he says.
TJ Finley is represented by New Orleans-based attorneys David I. Courcelle and Scott C. Stansbury. They released a statement about their client’s arrest on Thursday evening.
TJ Finley was a victim of a Facebook Marketplace scam. He purchased a used pickup truck from an individual who presented himself as John Spillway, representing Mountain Adventures, LLC. Spillway presented TJ with both a bill of sale and registration, giving TJ every reason to believe the purchase was legitimate. Within three days of the purchase, Tulane police informed TJ that the truck had been reported stolen. TJ looks forward to continuing to cooperate fully with the authorities in hopes of recovering the funds he lost, bringing the criminal(s) to justice, and clearing his name and reputation. TJ is hopeful that this process will be completed quickly so that he can move forward with his academics and athletic career.
— David I. Courcelle and Scott C. Stansbury
Finley is currently out on bond. I would think that all charges will be dropped in the very near future if his lawyers’ account of what happened is true, and I think it is true. I can’t imagine that he would be dumb enough to drive a stolen vehicle around campus as if it was no big deal when it is that hot. We’ll see.
Tulane has seven scheduled practices remaining in the spring practice period.
- Saturday, April 5
- Tuesday, April 8
- Thursday, April 10
- Friday, April 11
- Tuesday, April 15
- Thursday, April 17
- Saturday, April 19
In an ideal world, TJ Finley can get back on the field by Tuesday. Missing two practices during a quarterback competition is not ideal. But missing two practices is better than missing three or more.