Bankruptcy judge rejects $2.3M offer on Warren Sapp's Windermere mansion

WINDERMERE, Fla. — A bankruptcy judge rejected the $2.3 million offer on former NFL star Warren Sapp’s Windermere mansion.

The former standout defensive lineman who played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders earned a reported $77 million while in the NFL, but he was forced to auction his mansion on Lake Butler after filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

The Apopka native’s house was originally valued at $7 million, but local international fitness expert Brenda Dykgraff offered to pay $2.3 million for the home.

On Wednesday, WFTV learned the bank objected to the offer, so now the auction company is working on getting higher offers in place.

Those offers will be resubmitted in three weeks, officials said.

Sporting News columnist David Whitley has followed Sapp's career since college.

"A lot of (professional athletes) make poor investments, live a lifestyle beyond their means, and no matter how many Warren Sapps they trot up there as cautionary tales, it's going to happen again," said Whitley.

Dykgraff said she got to see the inside of the mansion before her offer. Inside, she saw a lion-skin rug, museum quality architecture and a closet filled with 100 to 200 pairs of Nike shoes.

"You walk into the closet, and it's just tons of Air Jordan's," Dykgraff said.

But Sapp's south Florida attorney argued that's not what got Sapp in trouble.  He blames a bad real estate investment in which Sapp planned to rehab a south Florida housing project before the housing market crashed.

So, the attorney said, the bank garnished Sapp's income to get back more than $800,000 owed for a loan.

Sapp's attorney said it was then impossible to keep up with alimony and support to his ex-wife and children.

Whitley said the luxurious lifestyle probably didn't help.

"It all forms this perfect storm, and he's no longer making the huge money that he was making in the NFL," said Whitley.

WFTV