Jarrett Patterson didn’t join the San Francisco 49ers via trade until Monday. But last week, within the locker room of his former team, Patterson’s future team was already a topic of discussion.
Not because they knew Patterson – whom the Houston Texans traded to the 49ers for a seventh-round pick – would soon be boarding a flight to San Francisco. They were simply discussing the story that has taken the NFL world by storm over the past week.
Daejon Love, who was arrested Aug. 24, allegedly scammed 26 women out of more than $1.3 million dollars by, in large part, posing as a former 49ers wide receiver. The four-plus year scam impacted victims financially and emotionally, with one woman telling the Chronicle: “I let my guard down.” Love used dating apps like Tinder, Bumble and Hinge as well as Facebook to connect with women whom he would eventually reel in by convincing them of his lavish lifestyle, headlined by extravagant cars and an NFL paycheck.
So, how did the real 49ers react when they learned about the fake, wannabe 49er?
Patterson was dumbfounded. His number one takeaway? “I guess you can’t believe everything you see on the internet,” he told the Chronicle. “That’s probably the number one rule. People sometimes forget about it.”
“I don’t know what his thought process or his goal was out of it, but I mean, that’s just crazy,” Patterson continued. “Like, just be who you are. … just be yourself.”
Love’s acts had no direct impact on the 49ers organization, of course, but one player did unintentionally get caught in the story’s crosshairs. After Sunday’s 53-man roster cutdowns, Niners rookie wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling switched his jersey number from No. 15 to No. 7. No big deal, right? Players switch numbers all the time, especially younger ones who don’t get their preferred jersey right off the bat.
This time, it was a big deal. Stribling’s swap came with lots of extra attention. His new No. 7 happens to be the one Love claimed to have worn. The alleged scammer once posed with a birthday cake that appeared to be designed as the back of a 49ers jersey, with his last name and jersey number carved onto it.
Video of Stribling practicing with his No. 7 uniform for the first time Monday went viral.
“Since they released Love, that number is open now,” one X user wrote under an Underdog NFL post announcing Stribling’s number change.
“How much (did) he pay Daejon Love for it?” another asked.
Stribling doesn’t seem to mind the jokes. He called them “hilarious” Tuesday as a smile broke out across his face, adding it’s “kind of crazy, but it’s pretty cool at the same time” to unintentionally be at the center of online fan discourse.
For Romello Height, another 49ers rookie who has posted pictures of himself rocking his red and gold threads on Instagram, he said he can’t stop laughing at every clip he sees of Love parading around in his replica 49ers helmet and practice gear. The next one is more absurd than the last. The most shocking part to Height is how long Love got away with it before being exposed.
“The 49ers (are) a very historic team,” Height said, “so for him to be able (to pull it off) and nobody question it – like, ‘Yo, is this dude really on the Niners? ‘ Like, nobody questioned it? … All I could do is laugh at it.”
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This article originally published at Real 49ers players react to the fake 49er: ‘All I could do is laugh’.
