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Panthers' Kony Ealy named in fraud lawsuit over dog

Grant Halverson / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Kony Ealy is being sued by a former sports bar owner who claims the Carolina Panthers defensive end conned him out of $3,000 after their dog-breeding plan went awry, Michael Gordon of the Charlotte Observer reports.

In the lawsuit, Kris Johnson says he was in the midst of cutting the grass at an $800,000 south Charlotte house he was trying to sell when he was approached by "two big dudes" - Ealy and his brother, Danny "Dogman" Jones - who were interested in checking the place out.

The lawsuit states the three men started spending time together, and Ealy and Jones told Johnson of their plans to breed and sell Boerboels, a dog breed that can reach more than 200 pounds. Johnson says the brothers asked him for $6,000 to purchase a breeding female, promising their business would bring in $35,000 per litter and over $1 million per year.

On July 12, Johnson wrote a check for $3,000, but no dog or litter were ever produced, and his repeated calls for a refund went unanswered, according to the lawsuit.

Johnson told Gordon he isn't trying to exploit Ealy's celebrity, saying "All I want is my money back."

Attorney Kenneth Raynor said Ealy and his brother "dispute the allegations ... and I plan on vigorously defending the lawsuit."

Ealy had four tackles, three sacks, and an interception in Super Bowl 50.

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