Woman Claims She Reported Man Accused of Impersonating a 49er to the NFL Team 8 Months Before His Arrest

Daejon Love was arrested in August and accused of impersonating a San Francisco 49ers player to defraud more than two dozen women out of $1.3 million, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

But one woman has now come forward to say she reported Love to the team eight months before he was arrested and they did nothing. Gwen Herndon told ESPN on Tuesday, September 22 that she had sent a “complaint/concern” form to the 49ers on December 20, 2025.

“There is a federal investigation surrounding a man pretending to be a 49ers player,” she wrote, naming Love, per the outlet.

“He is severely damaging the reputation of your team,” she added. “I wanted you to be aware of the situation and hopefully proactive in denouncing his involvement on your team.”

A week later, she received a response from Levi’s Stadium guest services, she told ESPN.

“We take reports of individuals misrepresenting themselves as members of the San Francisco 49ers very seriously,” they wrote. “For safety and legal reasons, the team cannot comment on ongoing investigations or specific individuals. However, we appreciate you bringing this to our attention and encouraging proactive measures to protect the integrity of the organization.”

The email encouraged her to contact authorities if she had any information about Love. “Our internal team will also monitor any instances of impersonation and take action as appropriate to protect fans and the team’s reputation. Thank you again for your vigilance and concern for the Niners community,” the email concluded.

ESPN reported that a team source had told the outlet earlier in September that the 49ers did not know about Love until being contacted by the FBI in August, when Love, 35, and his alleged co-conspirator, Taylor Jamie Chan, 18, were arrested in Boise, Idaho, and charged with wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Love met women through dating apps, the FBI alleges, and “falsely portrayed himself as legitimately wealthy, often as an NFL player for the San Francisco 49ers or as a wealthy real estate investor.” He had romantic relationships with many of the victims, they claim, and convinced them to give him money for so-called investments.

The initial complaint listed 26 victims, but Portland, Oregon, Special Agent in Charge Doug Olson told reporters in a media call on September 18 that there may have been 35 more victims.

“He was either a player, former player, a player on injured reserve, … but whatever name he was using, he’d put enough stuff into the media searches so it was the first thing that came up on people’s page,” Olson said of Love’s alleged claims, per The Athletic. “And it was not just the first thing that came up; it was like, there were multiple things in there that would confirm whatever he was telling those folks. … The sports thing was always a big part of it, because you have to have some source of initial income to be an investor.”

Olson said the 49ers were “completely cooperative” with the investigation, per ESPN.

Despite what ESPN’s source claimed, Olson said the team knew about Love before the arrest.

“I think we found out about it about the same time,” he said, per The Athletic.

Herndon told ESPN she reported her concerns about Love to the FBI and Eugene, Oregon, police, and also contacted the 49ers because she didn’t want Love to scam someone else while the investigation was ongoing.

“It was apparent to me that there were so many victims and there were going to continue to be victims unless a public statement was made and was very visible,” said Herndon, who is suing Love. “I knew that based on how fast he was moving.”

Herndon told ESPN she was frustrated that the 49ers did not publicly denounce Love.

“I trusted the Niners and believed them in saying there wasn’t much that they could do,” she said. “It was enough for me to know that they knew. In their own right, I also think that they are a victim.”

“The FBI investigates alleged violations of federal crime, and those allegations have to be proven in court by prosecutors beyond a reasonable doubt,” the Portland FBI said in a statement to ESPN. “It’s paramount that investigations are thorough and take the necessary time to build the case for prosecution. Some investigations, particularly white-collar investigations, can take years, and some may not lead to charges.”

Love and Chan remain in custody. They have not yet entered formal pleas.