TEMPE, Ariz. — About an hour earlier than the Arizona Cardinals’ lone preseason house sport, followers shuffled into the workforce store inside State Farm Stadium searching for a brand new piece of attire. A row of jerseys held on the again wall, belonging to a number of the Cardinals’ most-popular gamers: Kyler Murray, Budda Baker, James Conner, Michael Wilson, Zaven Collins and Trey McBride.
One was noticeably lacking: Marvin Harrison Jr.
His jersey hasn’t been on the market since he was drafted by the Cardinals with the No. 4 decide on April 25. And it is possible followers will not be capable to purchase one earlier than the season opener on the Buffalo Payments on Sept. 8 (1 p.m. ET, CBS) or for the foreseeable future.
It is the newest chapter in an offseason authorized saga for Harrison, one of the extremely touted receivers within the 2024 draft.
On the sector, Harrison has regarded like the kind of receiver who’ll make an instantaneous influence for a Cardinals offense on the precipice of breaking out. Off the sector, Harrison has been coping with a lawsuit from Fanatics that is setting as much as be a prolonged court docket battle.
This is what we all know.
Why cannot followers purchase a Marvin Harrison Jr. jersey?
Harrison is the one first-round decide from this 12 months’s draft whose jersey is not out there on the market. A league supply advised ESPN that the NFL Gamers Affiliation suggested the NFL, the Cardinals and Fanatics to not promote Harrison’s jersey.
The advice from the NFLPA got here as a result of there’s an energetic lawsuit between Fanatics, Harrison and now additionally his father, Corridor of Famer Marvin Harrison Sr., alleging breach of contract and fraud. Though the lawsuit and the sale of Harrison’s jersey will not be straight associated, Fanatics being one of many NFLPA’s 85 licensees and the plaintiff within the lawsuit in opposition to Harrison complicates the state of affairs.
Followers additionally aren’t in a position to customized design a No. 18 “Harrison Jr.” or “Harrison” jersey on the NFL’s official on-line store as a result of Fanatics would not presently have the rights to promote it. But when they need to get inventive, followers can design a No. 18 “HarrisonJr” jersey.
A black Harrison Cardinals jersey was out there on the market on the European model of NFL Store on Monday night time however was taken down by Tuesday morning.
Till a inexperienced mild is given to promote Harrison’s jersey, retailers — together with the Cardinals and Fanatics — are in a holding sample.
For now, followers are left to purchase unofficial Harrison jerseys in the event that they need to sport his Cardinals threads. His school jersey is not out there on Ohio State’s official web site however could be discovered on different websites.
The 2-time school All-American didn’t signal the NFLPA’s group licensing settlement on the NFL scouting mix, the place most rookies ink the pact. He did not be a part of the GLA, composed of 85 corporations that get entry to gamers’ names, photos and likenesses for his or her merchandise.
As soon as he signed his rookie contract in late Could, Harrison robotically entered the GLA. However that did not robotically result in his jersey being made and offered.
In keeping with court docket paperwork associated to the swimsuit, court docket proceedings might final till June earlier than a trial even begins, which leaves the chance that Harrison’s jersey may not be out there till then.
What is the newest within the Fanatics lawsuit in opposition to him?
Hovering over the absence of Harrison’s jersey has been the Fanatics lawsuit. That is the primary time Fanatics has sued an athlete it has labored with since its founding in 2011, the corporate stated in an announcement in Could.
On Could 18, Fanatics filed a lawsuit in opposition to Harrison for not fulfilling an settlement for him to offer the corporate with memorabilia over the subsequent three seasons, in keeping with a binding time period sheet allegedly signed by each events on the New York State Supreme Courtroom web site. The time period sheet, allegedly signed by Harrison on Could 16, 2023, was later sealed. Fanatics claims the time period sheet is binding. Harrison disagrees.
In keeping with court docket paperwork, the deal was presupposed to pay Harrison $1.05 million between April 1, 2024, and March 31, 2026, in change for 30 sport jerseys over the 2024, 2025 and 2026 seasons, and greater than 35,000 autographs, with a Fanatics choice for 15,000 extra. Harrison has already been paid $110,000 as a part of the settlement, in keeping with the lawsuit.
In an affidavit from late July, Harrison stated he by no means meant to be personally sure by the time period sheet.
“It’s not an settlement between Fanatics and me,” Harrison stated within the submitting. “I used to be by no means requested to, nor did I ever, signal any doc that personally obligated me to do something in regards to the ‘binding time period sheet.'”
Additionally in that affidavit, Harrison said that his father signed the time period sheet and never him. That assertion, which each Harrison and his father made on affidavits underneath the specter of perjury, led to Fanatics refiling its swimsuit Friday, increasing it to incorporate the elder Harrison as a defendant and alleging that he dedicated fraud when he “led Fanatics to consider that Harrison Jr. had signed the Binding Time period Sheet.”
The elder Harrison didn’t reply to a textual content message from ESPN, and Harrison’s legal professional, Andrew Staulcup, declined to touch upon ongoing litigation.
Fanatics stated it was led to consider that it was negotiating the binding time period sheet with Harrison by his father however that it might be Harrison who would signal the time period sheet.
Within the revised swimsuit, Fanatics stated the signature on the binding time period sheet “bears a putting resemblance” to Harrison’s signature on the W-9 kind he had to offer for his firm, The Official Harrison Assortment, and to the autographs being offered on the corporate’s web site.
How has Harrison regarded within the offseason?
Though the off-field uncertainty stays, Harrison hasn’t let it have an effect on him on the sector.
His first NFL coaching camp has been nothing in need of spectacular, with Harrison shortly incomes the respect of his teammates, ascending to WR1 earlier than Arizona broke minicamp in June. By the tip of minicamp, Harrison had turn out to be the primary receiver in line for drills, an order determined by gamers and an final signal of respect for a rookie.
His trajectory since has been on a straight line upward.
Harrison’s coaching camp showcased his Corridor of Fame household historical past, each in how he carried out on the sector and the way he ready off of it.
“Clearly, he is extra superior in that he is nearly been groomed to do that since a younger age,” extensive receivers coach Drew Terrell stated. “Because the first dialog I ever had with him in pre-draft course of, he is been a professional. He is aware of what the expectation is. He is very arduous on himself and is aware of what to anticipate of himself.”
Although Harrison did not get a goal in his three lone snaps within the workforce’s preseason sport in opposition to the Saints, he already has proven his teammates and coaches a glimpse of what is to come back, whether or not that is at apply in opposition to his personal workforce or in a joint apply in opposition to the Indianapolis Colts.
“I believe you simply watch him,” Murray stated. “You’ll be able to watch him and inform when a man’s received it. He is received it.”
Coach Jonathan Gannon has been impressed with Harrison, particularly by his work ethic, since he arrived in Arizona.
“He is extraordinarily detailed,” Gannon stated. “He does quite a bit further, most likely an excessive amount of. I will be combating him about that.
“I like further work. We simply received to be sensible about it. You simply received to have a routine about it, about what you are doing. You solely get one cup a day. How are you filling in your cup? And if you happen to’re overflowing it someplace, it is going to take from some other place otherwise you may not develop like we wish you to develop. So, he is doing an excellent job along with his routine and his plan, what he is doing.”
Harrison has not addressed the lawsuit publicly. When requested in Indianapolis throughout joint practices whether or not his jersey can be on the market quickly, the rookie wideout stated he did not have an replace. In an Aug. 1 information convention, Harrison stated he is centered on executing on the sector.
“It is a workforce first, so no matter my targets could also be, I at all times attempt to put the workforce forward of me,” Harrison stated. “They introduced me right here to win, so clearly that is my No. 1 objective is to win, assist this workforce win a soccer sport, so I can share that one particular person objective with you guys and assist the workforce win.”
