Warren Sapp says a bad construction deal at the worst possible time sent him spiraling into debt that led him to file for bankruptcy last week.

Sapp claims he was motivated to file for bankruptcy with $6.7 million worth of debt because he didn’t want to go to jail.

Sapp estimates he grossed about $60 million during his playing days, primarily with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and now he’s reduced to not much. It’s a little hard to believe one failed investment project, building homes in Fort Pierce, Fla., broke him. But that’s what Sapp says.