Baker Mayfield reportedly in legal battle with father's company over missing $12 million
Baker Mayfield appears to be in two battles this summer. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback is fighting for the starting job with Kyle Trask, but now he's also fighting with family members over lost money, according to KXAN in Austin, Texas.
Mayfield and his wife, Emily, petitioned an Austin, Texas, court Tuesday to begin depositions for a lawsuit against six companies, two of which — Camwood Capital Management Group LLC and Camwood Ventures LP — were founded by Mayfield's father, James Mayfield.
Mayfield and his wife want those companies to turn over financial reports from 2018 to 2023 so they can figure out what happened to the roughly $12 million they invested in those companies. The Mayfields don't know "if their money has been properly and competently invested, has been stolen or otherwise misappropriated, or something in between," according to the petition.
The petition is not a lawsuit, though that could be coming in the future, depending on how the companies respond to the request.
Camwood Capital — the company at the center of the potential lawsuit — managed Mayfield's brand and finances since he was at Oklahoma, according to a 2019 article from The Athletic.
“Protecting the money we’re earning is No. 1. I’ve always been one to save it,” Mayfield said in the article. “For me, it’s protecting the money by surrounding yourself with good people.”
Mayfield is asking for financial records starting in 2018, the year he was drafted by the Cleveland Browns with the first pick in the NFL Draft. Mayfield signed a four-year, $32 million deal with the Browns before his rookie season. Mayfield was traded to the Carolina Panthers in 2022 after a shoulder injury limited his production in 2021. He played seven games with the Panthers before getting released. Mayfield then signed with the Los Angeles Rams, where he started four games down the stretch.
Mayfield opted to sign with the Buccaneers after hitting free agency. He's locked in a competition with Trask, who backed up Tom Brady the past two seasons. That competition is nearing its conclusion.