Kellen Winslow Hit With $130K Lawsuit, Accused of Trashing Rental Home

Former Tampa Bay Bucs tight end Kellen Winslow is reportedly being sued for more than $100K for trashing a multi-million dollar home in Rancho Santa Fe he and his wife rented last year.

According to the lawsuit, Winslow, who was traded to the Seattle Seahawks earlier this week, ruined $381,000 of furniture, rugs, and designer drapes in the rental home and left the place littered with animal feces and urine.

The home’s owners, Ahmad and Nona Zarei are seeking $133,000 in damages done to the walls, floors, furniture and rugs.

In addition to the “animal waste” problems and destruction of furniture, the suit claims “numerous holes” were punctured in the master bedroom walls and that cigarette and cigar burn holes marked up the outdoor furniture.

Winslow, who moved into the lavish Rancho Sante Fe home in January 2011 and stayed until July 1, 2011 at the cost of $9,000 a month, is also accused of shorting the owners $500 on the final months rent and leaving almost $3,000 in unpaid utility bills.

In response to the lawsuit, Winslow’s attorney Brian Watkins has run to his client’s defense, calling the claims “bogus” and a “shakedown of a professional athlete.”

“I don’t believe there was any damage. They said house smelled of urine. I did two walk-throughs and could not smell anything,” said Watkins. “That’s their motivation. They think they’ll get that from a professional athlete and it’s not going to happen.”

Watkins added:

“They want to portray it as though … Winslow had a fraternity of football friends partying. But the house was rented for his wife, who was pregnant. She was living there with her mother and a housekeeper. There was no partying … Kellen was rarely even there.”

via USA Today