Podcast Summary

Podcast: Pablo Torre Finds Out
Episode: The NFL's Secret Scammer and the $5 Billion Check (PTFO Vault)
Airdate: November 28, 2025
Host: Pablo Torre
Main Guests: Ryan Cortez, Kenny Blakeney

Overview:

This episode is an investigative deep-dive into one of the strangest stories in recent NFL history: the failed, bizarre, and possibly fraudulent attempt by former college basketball player Brian Davis to purchase the Washington Commanders NFL team. Pablo Torre unpacks how a mysterious $5 billion bank draft, wild claims about untold treasure, and a cast of curious characters led to a saga involving alleged scammers and the American sports dream. The episode moves from personal anecdotes to sports journalism, finance, and modern con artistry with trademark humor and skepticism.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. A Memorable Message and a $5 Billion Mystery [03:00–06:56]

• Pablo sets the stage with a relatable opener: the unforgettable messages we all receive. Pablo recalls getting a text from his friend Kenny—now Howard University’s basketball coach—containing a PDF of a $5 billion bank draft, allegedly intended for the purchase of the Washington Commanders.
• Quote:
  • "The amount of money associated with this bank draft, funds guaranteed by Citibank—specifically certified by Wells Fargo—was $5 billion." — Pablo Torre [05:41]
  • “You said B—billion.” — Ryan Cortez [05:44]

2. The Commanders Sale and a Last-Minute Twist [06:56–11:04]

• Recaps Dan Snyder’s historic $6 billion sale agreement to Josh Harris, and how Brian Davis emerged with an even larger $7 billion bid the very next day.
• The uniqueness: Davis was an ex-Duke basketball player, not a known billionaire, raising immediate red flags about his finances.

3. The Source of the Money and Public Scrutiny [10:05–13:19]

• Public and institutional doubt: How does Brian Davis claim to have access to billions?
  • Sources speculated Saudi investment and other shadowy backers.
  • Quote: “Are you able to send us some background and further details regarding the $10 billion of cash that you have on your balance sheet?” — Bank of America official’s email, as read by Pablo Torre [10:56]
• Davis on the radio:
  • “My money comes from white people... White people who are Jewish, who are Italian, who are Sicilian. White people.” — Brian Davis [13:05]

4. Brian Davis’s Checkered Financial Past [13:34–15:12]

• Pablo lays out Davis's history: successful real estate, failed payments, breached contracts, lawsuits (including from Scottie Pippen).
• Davis insists that these are past lives and his green energy company has changed his fortunes.

5. The $5 Billion Bank Draft: Real or Fake? [16:49–21:56]

• Kenny Blakeney describes how Brian’s friends from Duke reacted with skepticism, yet a kernel of “it’s Brian, so maybe.”
• Pablo and Kenny examine the bank draft: it looks impressively official, with holograms and QR codes, but the funds are from an entity entrusted with a long-dead person's estate—Severino Garcia Santa Romana.

6. The Legendary Filipino Treasure and the SGSR Estate [25:42–31:00]

• Pablo unravels the legend:
  • Santa Romana is a mythical figure, allegedly a WWII spy/CIA operative/general who found (or stole) billions in Japanese treasure in the Philippines—rumors and conspiracies that have swirled for 70 years.
  • The estate, supposedly holding this fortune, is the source of Davis’s bank draft.

7. Two Theories—and a Third Emerges [31:00–39:33]

• Pablo considers:
  1. Davis is actually in business with legitimate heirs to Santa Romana, and cashed in by selling his intellectual property.
  2. Davis has faked the documents and is running a scam.
• Then develops a third theory: Davis is himself being scammed by seasoned con artists posing as trustees of the SGSR estate.
  • Key detail: The “trustees” (including Donald Norvell Calhoun, a.k.a. Demery) have a history of fraudulent activity, trademarking odd things like “King of NFTs” and even “an insanely jacked animated cashew” for a company called “these Nutz.”
  • The “Wells Fargo” entity is fake—just renting office space.

8. The Fallout: Lawsuit, Humiliation, and Brian Disappears [39:33–44:49]

• Davis sues Bank of America in federal court, swearing he possessed a valid $5B bank draft.
• BoA responds: the draft appears “fictitious.”
• At court, Davis voluntarily withdraws his lawsuit; his phone and email go dark, and he disappears for weeks. Pablo and Kenny speculate about Davis’s state of mind and level of self-delusion.
  • Quote: “Absolutely, he believed this was real.”—Kenny Blakeney on Davis’s faith in the draft [45:37]

9. Relentless Hope: Brian’s Final Play [47:33–49:09]

• Out of nowhere, Davis resurfaces and recontacts Bank of America with a new, even higher offer: “We have posted in excess of $10 billion at BNY Mellon in New York City... We would like to give Mr. Snyder $8.1 billion...”
• Quote:
  • "There was zero acknowledgment anywhere in this email that Brian Davis had just sued these same exact people." — Pablo Torre [48:05]

10. Conclusion: Scams All the Way Down [52:50–end]

• Pablo reflects on the episode’s lessons:
  • Davis is an archetype of American hustler delusion: “the game is never over, even when it’s obviously, undeniably over.”
  • Ultimately, “this story... is just as much about Mr. Demery, the man who I suspect scammed a scammer. ...If you dare to run a blacklight under the motel couch of the American economy, what you’ll discover, inevitably, are these Nutz with a Z.” [52:50]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “My money comes from white people.” — Brian Davis [13:05]
  • (Repeated motif, both earnest and absurd.)
• “Are you able to send us some background and further details regarding the $10 billion of cash...?” — Bank of America email [10:56]
• “Imagine me as that hoops Bob Marley. That’s who I am. I’m a good guy.” — Brian Davis [15:03, 39:34]
• “When I look at this, looks pretty official. There’s some holograms, QR codes, ...beneficiary names.” — Kenny Blakeney [18:29]
• “This is the learning lesson. This is my redemption song.” — Brian Davis [15:03, 39:34]
• “You got the wrong number.... This is a seafood vendor.” [33:36–34:08]
  • (When Pablo calls the supposed “Wells Fargo,” it’s actually a fish market.)
• “An insanely jacked animated cashew with a human goddamn face and tennis shoes, right near the logo for what appeared to me as a trail mix company named these Nutz in all caps.” — Pablo Torre [41:30]

Key Timestamps

| Time | Event / Segment | |-----------|------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:00 | The $5 billion bank draft—Pablo receives the fateful text | | 06:56 | Commanders sale & Brian Davis’s mysterious bid | | 10:05 | Public/professional skepticism & Davis radio interview | | 13:34 | Davis’s financial/legal baggage | | 16:49 | Kenny Blakeney’s perspective: skepticism and hope | | 25:42 | Enter Severino G.S. Santa Romana—Filipino treasure legend | | 31:00 | Theories of scam/scammer/scammed | | 39:33 | Lawsuit filed, bank draft declared “fictitious” | | 44:49 | Davis disappears, then resurfaces with a bigger offer | | 52:50 | Pablo’s final thoughts: American scams & “these Nutz” |

Tone & Style Highlights

• Irreverent, skeptical, playful reporting
• Use of personal anecdote and self-deprecation (“my tuna wrap, delicious as it was, sat there uneaten…”)
• Blending absurdity with seriousness (“…if you dare to run a blacklight under the motel couch of the American economy, what you’ll discover, inevitably, are these Nutz with a Z.”)
• Soundtrack and pop-culture references (Redemption Song, Bob Marley, show’s running gags)

For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

This episode is a classic Pablo Torre “talkumentary”: a wild, entertaining journalism rabbit-hole exploring the truly strange intersection between sports ownership, modern con artistry, and the American dream/chase for redemption. It spotlights the vulnerability at the heart of get-rich dreams, the proliferation of conmen in high finance, and the way that desperation can make even the most outlandish scams seem plausible. By the end, you’re left questioning not just the characters at the center of the fraud, but the system that enables such scams—and laughing, uneasily, at just how deep the rabbit hole goes.