February 07, 2017

Lawsuit claims Eagles hater Steve Weatherford owes $60,000 in back rent

By Michael Tanenbaum
PhillyVoice Staff

Former New York Giants punter Steve Weatherford, a man who routinely taunted Eagles fans and disparaged his NFC East rival, has been sued for $60,000 in back rent at a home he leased with his wife in North Jersey.

The lawsuit, filed last month in Bergen County Superior Court, claims the Weatherfords signed an 11-month lease at a six-bedroom Colonial home in Tenafly, agreeing to pay an annual rent of $77,000 starting in July 2015, according to NJ.com. The couple allegedly moved into the home in August 2015 and failed to make ten combined months' worth of $7,000 rent payments during the time they lived there, the lawsuit claims.

A $14,000 check meant to cover rent for December 2015 and January 2016 allegedly bounced, the owners of the property contend. They also claim they discovered $8,335 in damages at the home, including a basement carpet destroyed by dog urine, after the Weatherfords moved out at the end of last October. The couple's $10,500 deposit was withheld to be applied for back rent, according to the lawsuit, and pets were not permitted at the property.

“The inaccurate allegations against Mr. and Mrs. Weatherford are categorically denied," the Weatherfords' attorney said in a statement. "We look forward to a reasonable resolution of this dispute.”

The 34-year-old ex-punter played for either the New York Jets or New York Giants from 2009 until the end of his career in 2015, developing a reputation as an outspoken athlete and philanthropist in the realm of education and fitness. He won a Super Bowl with the Giants in the 2011-2012 season.

In Philadelphia, Weatherford was despised for his snide jabs at the Philadelphia Eagles and their fans, once posting a photo of his jersey on the Rocky statue and then belittling the team's banners at Lincoln Financial Field.