Last night, our newest arrival pointed out that Drew Brees is the newest Saints to sue former long snapper Kevin Houser for his role in a tax-credit investment scam that blew up in everyone’s face.
Brees filed his claim for $160,000 on Monday, after coach Sean Payton settled his lawsuit against Houser and on the same day word emerged that former Saints defensive coordinator and former Saints tight end Jeremy Shockey -- who at one point ripped Houser mercilessly on Twitter -- also have settled their claims.
Per the Associated Press, former Saints defensive end Charles Grant has a pending lawsuit against Houser. Other victims included former Saints linebacker Scott Shanle, former Saints punter Mitch Berger, and former Saints quarterback Archie Manning.
The controversy prompted the Saints to cut Houser in 2009, after eight years with the team and at the front end of the franchise’s only Super Bowl season.
Here’s the problem for Brees. Sooner or later, Houser is going to run out of money. It’s also possible that Brees, who filed his suit nearly four years after word of the scam first emerged, has run out of time, based on the applicable statute of limitations.
Regardless, it appears Brees has decided to move now in light of the reality that others like Payton were getting paid. As a legal and/or practical matter, Brees simply may be too late.