Nissan began removing vehicles Tuesday from a Jackson, Miss., dealership owned by former New Orleans Saints running back Deuce McAllister. About 20 cars and trucks were loaded on tractor-trailers even as McAllister says he is seeking investors to help pull the dealership out of bankruptcy. “Nissan financing has every right to protect the vehicles,” McAllister says. “What they choose to do with them is their business. There’s obviously a lot more to the story, but we’ll see how this shakes out.”
McAllister filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last month after Nissan Motor Acceptance Corp. said in a federal civil suit that the free agent owed nearly $7 million, mostly in unsold vehicles still sitting on his lot. The 30-year-old is the sole owner of the dealership, one of two he owns in Mississippi’s capital city.
The 2001 first-round draft pick out of Ole Miss was cut by the Saints after last season. The decision saved New Orleans $7 million in salary cap room for the 2009 season.
McAllister is recovering from off-season arthroscopic knee surgery after missing several games in 2008 because of swelling after reconstructive surgery following the 2007 season. McAllister says he still hopes to catch on with a pro football team before training camps open in the summer.
