Police in Georgia investigating ex-Tennessee football player Grant Frerking for potential fraud
The business dealings of former Tennessee football player Grant Frerking have caught the attention of police in Georgia, Knox News has learned.
Investigators from the Milton Police Department, outside of Atlanta, are investigating whether Frerking, 26, defrauded residents in a scheme to take payment for pine straw that was never delivered.
Milton police are investigating a charge of "theft by deception," according to a copy of the police report obtained by Knox News. No charges have been filed in Fulton County as of June 12.
'The case has been assigned to our Criminal Investigations Division for determination if probable cause exists for criminal charges against Mr. Frerking,' Capt. Charles Barstow wrote in an email to Knox News on June 12.
Knox News previously reported about allegations Frerking scammed customers and had substantial unpaid debts, including being evicted from two apartments in a swanky Nashville neighborhood where he ran up nearly $16,400 in unpaid debts.
Frerking was a Vols walk-on wide receiver from 2017-22. He gained attention because of his claimed business successes as the former CEO and founder of Metro Straw, which he launched as a teenager in the metro Atlanta area and expanded across the Southeast. The Athletic documented Frerking's success in a November 2018 story.
Knox News reported on June 12 Frerking was a part-time consultant to UT football since July 2023, employed by the university while carrying out financial scams related to his former business and facing civil claims for unpaid bills, documents provided by UT revealed.
His duties included advising coach Josh Heupel on off-field matters, consulting staff members on best practices and representing the Vols program at public events.
Frerking did not respond to numerous Knox News requests for comment.
Milton resident Philip Nickerson filed a police report June 6 asserting he paid Frerking $778.50 to put down pine straw at his home – it was an advance payment with the understanding Frerking would get more after the work was done, according to the report.
But Frerking never showed, Nickerson told police.
'Philip stated that on three separate occasions he attempted to contact Grant about the job,' the police report said. 'Each time (05/27/2025, 05/29/2025, 06/06/2025) Grant stated he would come by and complete the job. As of this report on 06/06/2025, the service has not been completed.''
The police report did not name the company Nickerson paid to do the work. It said Nickerson paid Frerking directly.
Jeff Hamling, a resident of nearby Roswell, said he has spoken with officials at the Roswell Police Department and plans to file a report asserting Frerking defrauded him and more than 10 neighbors earlier this spring.
He said Frerking had a crew place pine straw at a neighbor's house. When the project was finished, Frerking asked the owner to make a positive post about his work in the neighborhood Facebook page, which she did.
Seeing the post, Hamling said he and 10 other homeowners reached out to Frerking and prepaid − some in full, some half − for work at their own homes.
Hamling paid in full, he said, because Frerking promised a 10% discount if they paid in full. He lost $1,400.
'He responded to a text in five minutes,' Hamling said. 'I never sat there and thought 'Hey, I got ghosted.' He said I'll be in touch in a week or so with an install date. I didn't think anything of it.'
But several weeks and a dozen excuses later, no work had been done, Hamling said.
Earlier this week, he said, some of the homeowners began getting partial refunds. Frerking repaid him $500. He doesn't expect to see any more.
Frerking left the company in July 2021, according to his LinkedIn bio, shortly after graduating from the University of Tennessee with a bachelor's degree in supply chain management and just before being hired by On3.
The police reports mirror what other residents told Knox News.
Doug Proctor of Johns Creek, Georgia, said he was scammed by Frerking as a Metro Straw customer. Proctor said Frerking charged his debit card three times for work never done.
'Grant Frerking is a lying unscrupulous SOB. All the time he bills himself as a star football player at Tennessee as well as a gifted businessman. What a phony! He needs to be exposed.'
Frerking eventually refunded Proctor two of the three payments, but still owes him a few hundred dollars, Proctor said.
A different resident of Johns Creek, a repeat customer, told Knox News he was scammed by Frerking in early February in similar fashion. The man, who requested he not be named, told Knox News he reached out to Metro Straw to purchase pine straw. He said was contacted directly by Frerking and not by Metro Straw with 'an insane deal.' Frerking requested half-payment as a deposit. A day later, Frerking requested the rest at a discounted rate to take advantage of what he said was a vendor offering a deal.
The man made two payments on Venmo to Gracie Roberson, whom Frerking referred to as 'his partner" and was his girlfriend at the time of the transactions.
Frerking repeatedly insisted delivery would be made in a couple of days, but it never was. The man contacted Metro Straw directly and was told there was no record of the order he placed through the website. A company representative asked if the man had been dealing with Frerking.
A December 2024 Yelp review labeled Frerking "the most unscrupulous liar." Claims across Yelp and with the Better Business Bureau consistently describe an insistence on prepayment, a lack of follow-through and disappearing when confronted for refunds. A BBB complaint said Frerking's bank account had been frozen.
"This is theft," a complaint on the BBB website stated on May 13. "My money was taken in good faith and there was never the intention (to) deliver either product."
Another complaint on the BBB website on July 25, 2024, requested that the watchdog bureau "report this company as a SCAM," and identified "Grant" as the person responsible.
Metro Straw was so uncomfortable with Frerking's business practices this spring that the company posted a warning about him on its website to protect people from being scammed by him. Customers who paid him but never received product told Knox News he told them he worked for Metro Straw.
"Metro Straw and former owner Grant Frerking have parted ways for 2 years,' the post said. 'Metro Straw does not associate with Grant Frerking in any way.'
Frerking has been evicted from two Nashville apartments this year, according to court records, and owed $16,387 in unpaid rent in The Gulch.
In May 2023, a limo company filed a civil claim against Frerking for $2,500. The plaintiff said he was hired as Frerking's private driver at $75 per hour, and that tab was unpaid. Later the same day, the driver withdrew his claim.
On May 27 Frerking resigned from On3, a Nashville-based sports media company that covers teams, recruiting and NIL pay for college athletes.
Tyler Whetstone is an investigative reporter focused on accountability journalism. Connect with Tyler by emailing him at tyler.whetstone@knoxnews.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @tyler_whetstone.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Police in Georgia are investigating Grant Frerking for potential fraud
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