San Francisco files formal release paperwork for the alleged fake NFL star arrested by the FBI, citing a need to clear cap space he never occupied
The 49ers have formally waived Daejon Love, the alleged fake NFL player arrested by the FBI, despite never having signed him. The team calls the zero-dollar release its most responsible transaction ever. Three rival clubs reportedly tried to claim him anyway.
An equipment manager at the 49ers' facility spent Tuesday morning prying a nameplate reading "LOVE" off a locker, which was confusing, because nobody remembered putting it up. Sources close to the situation say it had been there for months. Nobody asked. Everyone assumed someone else knew the guy.
Hours later the team made it official. San Francisco has formally waived Daejon Love, the alleged fake 49ers player arrested by the FBI after reportedly wooing women with a roster spot that did not exist.
The move stunned league insiders, mostly because you cannot waive a man you never employed. The 49ers disagree. "We take roster integrity extremely seriously," said team transactions coordinator Brant Kessler. "The cleanest way to confirm he was never on the team is to remove him from it. That's just good bookkeeping."
The paperwork itself is a landmark. Love was released with a cap hit of zero dollars, no dead money and no guaranteed years, making it, by every internal metric, the most financially responsible transaction in franchise history. Three front-office staffers reportedly asked if they could do it again next week.
Love's alleged run was already the stuff of legend. Federal agents arrested him even as one woman, by her own TikTok account, was still fully wrapped up in the romance, receipts in hand. He had the confidence. He had the story. What he lacked, investigators note, was any recorded contact with a football.
"He never missed a practice. Not one. Statistically he was our most reliable guy."
The waiver wire heats up
Then things got worse. League sources say three teams quietly inquired about claiming Love off waivers, reasoning that a player with zero snaps also has zero injury history. One general manager reportedly called his availability "intriguing" before an assistant explained the situation twice.
The league office moved fast to calm things down. "Clubs may not claim individuals who were never in the player pool," said NFL roster compliance liaison Dana Whitlock. "We should not have to write that rule, and yet here we are, writing it."
Inside the building, the mood is reflective. Kessler admitted the locker room misses a presence it never technically had. "He never missed a practice. Not one," he said. "Statistically he was our most reliable guy."
Attempts to reach Love's representation were unsuccessful. Sources close to the situation say his agent could not be located, largely because his agent, like his career, does not exist.
The 49ers say the roster spot will remain open in his honor. It always was.
