Antonio Pierce is facing controversy ahead of his first full season as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.
Pierce, who replaced a fired Josh McDaniels last November, was named in a June 12 bankruptcy filing by his wife, Jocelyn, according to court documents obtained by The Athletic’s Tashan Reed. Antonio owes over $28 million in civil judgments, per financial statements included in the bankruptcy filing.
According to Reed, the filing includes a statement from Jocelyn that creditors have sought to collect assets belonging to her and Antonio. As a result, she filed for bankruptcy to “protect her assets and those of the marital community.”
Antonio’s investments into car dealerships in the 2010s reportedly are the root of the judgments. Pierce made personal guarantees, but when the dealerships defaulted on their loans, lenders sought money from those who guaranteed debts, including Pierce.
Nissan Motor Acceptance Corporation has a $23 million judgment against Pierce, per the documents, while Hyundai Capital America has a $4.5 million judgment. Both recently attempted to garnish Antonio Pierce’s wages with the Raiders. Pierce’s salary with the Raiders was unknown at the time of this writing.
Jocelyn was granted an extension until July 12 to “accurately gather all information concerning the community property while attending to her home and children,” per the documents.
The Raiders went 5-4 last season after naming Pierce their interim head coach. They removed the interim tag during the offseason after conducting a head coaching search.