Welcome to the NFL and a whole different kind of spotlight, Jeremiyah Love. The former Notre Dame star spent years in South Bend, mostly being adored by Fighting Irish fans. Now that he's in the pros, his play will certainly be dissected daily. Unfortunately, so will everything else.
People paying attention to the wrong things and coming up with half-baked takes on them is nothing new, but Love's first foray into this territory has truly taken a turn for the absurd.
The former Notre Dame star is entering his rookie season with the Arizona Cardinals, having signed a deal that pays him $13 million a year and includes a $35 million signing bonus. So buying a new car, even an expensive one like the Lamborghini Urus, doesn't sound like that bizarre a move. However, because the running back apparently bought it for his girlfriend, the media and football fans have a major problem with it.
To back up their harping on something that isn't really anyone's business, Exhibit A of the bad takes was included in the original report by the New York Post. The report's author, Grant Young, claimed: "Love’s deal also includes a staggering $35 million signing bonus. And it appears that the rookie has spent a solid chunk of that bonus on his girlfriend, Aliece." Just so everyone is on the same page about the former Notre Dame star, let's take a look at the claim that he just spent a "solid chunk" of his signing bonus on the car.
Jeremiyah Love’s spending sparks misguided criticism after Notre Dame football career
As it turns out, if he spent $300,000 on the car, that's less than 1% of his signing bonus alone. There isn't a world where less than 1% equals a "solid chunk." The correct phrase here is "a drop in the bucket."
Most people who have taken umbrage at how the man spends his own money, which he earned by being one of the best players in college football and the No. 3 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, point to his comments right after he signed his deal with the Cardinals.
"I'm not spending any of my NFL checks," The former Notre Dame star said shortly after the draft. "All of that money, my financial advisor is going to take care of all that... It's going to be there, making more and more money. The first thing I might buy with my marketing money is a house for my parents, a car for my dad."
It's believed that Love made about $1.6 million in his final season in South Bend from "marketing money," as he calls it. That alone would be plenty to get Aliece that $300,000 car and a matching one for himself. Continued "marketing money" coming in could also mean a new house for his parents. And he could still stay away from his NFL contract cash, just like he said.
Since the report about the ex-Notre Dame star spending his money on surfaced, there have been all kinds of silly takes, with the most prevalent being that Jeremiyah Love made his first rookie mistake. The reality is that the people leaping to conclusions without stopping to think about the issue made the mistake, and it's one far too many are too happy to make.
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