Chapter 5
NextDrive Sports Media was registered in Michael’s name.
Tyler appeared as the featured athlete.
Dana had signed a parental consent form years earlier without understanding the financial structure.
She believed the company only managed sponsorships and recruiting videos.
The bank statements showed otherwise.
Over two years, NextDrive received nearly $420,000.
Some money paid legitimate expenses.
Cameras.
Editing.
Travel.
Coaching.
Tournament fees.
Most flowed through Michael.
Vehicle payments.
Mortgage arrears.
Credit cards.
A failed sports bar investment.
Private-school tuition.
A consulting fee to his insurance brokerage.
Tyler received a small allowance.
Michael repeatedly told the family he was sacrificing financially for Tyler’s future.
In reality, Tyler’s image had become part of Michael’s income.
The pool scare video was intended for a sponsor called Redline Athletic Apparel.
Redline had promised a larger campaign if Tyler’s account reached one hundred thousand followers before the football season.
The earlier clips performed well.
Startled children.
Hard hits.
Reactions.
Michael pushed for more “authentic intensity.”
Messages recovered from Tyler’s account showed:
MICHAEL: More stakes. People scroll past safe.
TYLER: Coach says no locker pranks.
MICHAEL: Then don’t film at program property.
TYLER: What about Grandpa’s pool?
MICHAEL: Good lighting. Keep anything that looks planned out of frame.
Tyler:
The hatch?
Michael:
Could work. Make sure no one is actually in it.
The message did not instruct Tyler to crush Avery’s hand.
It did encourage using the hatch.
Another exchange occurred an hour before the party.
TYLER: Strut came loose.
MICHAEL: Better drop.
TYLER: Is it safe?
MICHAEL: It’s fiberglass. Stop overthinking.
Michael later claimed he believed Tyler planned to drop the hatch beside someone, not on them.
Even if true, he had encouraged a minor to use heavy pool equipment for dangerous content.
After Avery was injured, the lie protected more than football.
It protected the sponsorship agreement.
The program board position.
His insurance license.
And the income hidden from Dana.
Redline suspended the campaign immediately.
The company stated it had never authorized dangerous pranks and required compliance with safety rules.
Michael accused it of abandoning Tyler under public pressure.
No video had been posted publicly by me.
The company learned through the formal program review because its contract required disclosure of serious conduct investigations.
May you like
The truth reached them through the system Michael signed.
Not through a family scandal.
