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Fanatics Refile Lawsuit To Include Both Marvin Harrison Jr. and Sr. in Fraud Allegations
Fanatics refiled its lawsuit against Cardinals rookie Marvin Harrison Jr., adding fraud and breach of contract charges, also naming his father, former NFL star Marvin Harrison Sr., in the case.
The apparel brand Fanatics re-filed its lawsuit against Arizona Cardinals rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. late last week, and now his Football Hall of Fame father, Marvin Harrison Sr., has joined the case, with both Harrisons accused of fraud.
According to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk, fans accused Harrison Sr. of attempting to give the idea that his son was signing a "binding term sheet" while his signature was on the paper. Fanatics accuse the Harrisons of fraudulently luring them into the agreement with the purportedly intentional signature discrepancy.
Fanatics first sued Harrison Jr. for breach of contract after he inked a $1 million deal with the firm in 2023. According to the complaint, Fanatics reached a non-exclusive deal with Harrison in April 2023 before engaging in "a fully binding and enforceable contract" in May 2023.
According to ESPN, in the new action filed Friday in the New York State Supreme Court, Fanatics listed Pro Football Hall of Famer Harrison Sr. as a participant, alleging he "aided and abetted Harrison Jr.'s fraud on Fanatics."
The new accusations are based on two affidavits, one from Harrison Jr. and one from Harrison Sr., submitted on July 31, which say that Harrison Sr., not Harrison Jr., signed the binding term sheet at the core of the complaint. Both affidavits were sworn to be true under pain of perjury.
Along with the new complaint, Fanatics sent samples of Harrison Jr.'s signature from the term sheet, an autograph from his company's website, his W-9, and his father's signature. According to Fanatics, Harrison Jr., Harrison Sr., and The Official Harrison Collection "executed the binding term sheet to further their own self-interest and obtain negotiating leverage with other licensees to gain even larger profits."
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The updated complaint revealed new information, including the fact that when Fanatics delivered Harrison Sr. a copy of the binding term sheet in May 2023, Fanatics said that it understood the transaction was between Harrison Jr. and Fanatics. According to the lawsuit, Harrison Sr. never denied it.
In a declaration filed on July 26, Harrison Jr. stated that the arrangement was between his firm, The Official Harrison Collection, and Fanatics rather than himself, in a second affidavit, Harrison Sr. stated that he signed the binding term sheet as an authorized representative.
According to ESPN, Harrison Jr. stated in the filing: "It is not an agreement between Fanatics and me. I was never asked to sign any forms requiring me to do anything with the 'Binding Term Sheet. I didn't intend to be personally bound by the 'Binding Term Sheet', and I am not.
Pat McAfee announced on his ESPN broadcast in May that Harrison Jr. had not signed a contract with Fanatics. That contradicted the company's claim that Harrison Jr. signed a contractual terms agreement with them in 2023, which would lock him up with them until 2026 in exchange for more than $1 million.
The Cardinals picked Harrison Jr. with the fourth overall choice in the 2024 NFL draft, while his father won eight Pro Bowl selections during his 13-year career with the Indianapolis Colts.
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