EXCLUSIVE

NFL star Major Wright just got into serious heat over his side hustle -- AFRICAN DIAMONDS -- and now he's being chased down by a couple of scary loan sharks.

Here's the short of it ... when he's not playing ball, Wright operates a diamond trading company called TDW Diamonds, and allegedly borrowed $75,000 last year in order to purchase raw South African diamonds (ranging from 21-31.5 carats).

Problem is ... the lenders are saying they still haven't been repaid, and the interest rate is borderline mafia-level.

According to their lawsuit, lenders Jimmy Michel and Marc Geffrard claim Wright promised to repay the loan PLUS 100% interest by March 2012 ... a total of $150,000 ... but that never happened.

It's now been more than a year and Michel and Geffrard say they still haven't been paid. They're suing for the full $150,000 plus even more interest.

P.S. -- the loan sharks are gonna get screwed because under Florida law, if anyone charges more than 18 percent on a loan, they forfeit their right to collect any interest at all. So, by (allegedly) signing a dumb contract, the two footballers may have outsmarted the sharks in the end.