Officers learned Coughman was the owner of the business. Inside the shop, they found graffiti scrawled on walls and booth cushions.

A Gwinnett County man is behind bars after allegedly destroying his own businesses and spray-painting slurs on his walls to make it appear he was the victim of a racially motivated burglary. Credit: Gwinnett County Police Department Credit: Gwinnett County Police Department

“Officers saw racially motivated words, swastikas, and ‘MAGA,’” Pihera said. “Several booth cushions were sliced open. They also found broken mirrors, cut wires and a damaged video surveillance system. The smell of spray paint was very fresh. When officers touched it, the paint appeared wet.”

Coughman reportedly told police he noticed the damage earlier in the day. He called his insurance company to report the break-in, but not 911, according to police.

He was arrested after officers determined he wasn’t being honest about what happened, Pihera said.

On Thursday, police searched Coughman’s truck and found cans of black spray paint and a yellow crowbar that matched pry marks discovered on the back door of the business, police said.

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“It appears as though Edawn conjured a premeditated plan to damage his own property, attempt to make it appear as a hate crime, file a claim with his insurance company, and sell off the undamaged appliances and electronics,” Pihera said.

Coughman, a former offensive tackle who attended Shaw University, played in the Canadian Football League before joining the NFL. He was signed by several teams during his four seasons in the league, but it appears he never made an active roster.

The former football player maintained his innocence during an interview with Channel 2 Action News, saying he plans to fight the charges.

“It’s unbelievable to me, man,” a tearful Coughman said. “It’s unbelievable how much stuff has happened to me. ... A good business is gone. I have nothing now.”

News of his arrest quickly went national, and Coughman was compared online to former “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett, who was accused of fabricating a hate-motivated attack in downtown Chicago earlier this year.

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Coughman told Channel 2 he feels like it’s “disrespectful” being compared to the embattled actor.

His attorney, Jackie Patterson, said Coughman’s business had already been burglarized that night and that he was simply recovering some of his remaining items when he was stopped by police. Coughman also claimed a second business he owns was vandalized with black spray paint while he was in jail.

He is out on an $8,300 bond as he awaits future court dates in the case, Gwinnett jail records show.

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