-
Josh Weinfuss, ESPN Staff Writer
TEMPE, Ariz. — About an hour before the Arizona Cardinals‘ lone preseason home game, fans shuffled into the team shop inside State Farm Stadium looking for a new piece of apparel. A row of jerseys hung on the back wall, belonging to some of the Cardinals’ most-popular players: Kyler Murray, Budda Baker, James Conner, Michael Wilson, Zaven Collins and Trey McBride.
One was noticeably missing: Marvin Harrison Jr.
His jersey hasn’t been for sale since he was drafted by the Cardinals with the No. 4 pick on April 25. And it’s likely fans won’t be able to buy one before the season opener at the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 8 (1 p.m. ET, CBS) or for the foreseeable future.
It’s the latest chapter in an offseason legal saga for Harrison, one of the most highly touted receivers in the 2024 draft.
On the field, Harrison has looked like the type of receiver who’ll make an instant impact for a Cardinals offense on the precipice of breaking out. Off the field, Harrison has been dealing with a lawsuit from Fanatics that’s setting up to be a lengthy court battle.
Here’s what we know.
Why can’t fans buy a Marvin Harrison Jr. jersey?
Harrison is the only first-round pick from this year’s draft whose jersey isn’t available for sale. A league source told ESPN that the NFL Players Association advised the NFL, the Cardinals and Fanatics to not sell Harrison’s jersey.
The recommendation from the NFLPA came because there’s an active lawsuit between Fanatics, Harrison and now also his father, Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison Sr., alleging breach of contract and fraud. Although the lawsuit and the sale of Harrison’s jersey are not directly related, Fanatics being one of the NFLPA’s 85 licensees and the plaintiff in the lawsuit against Harrison complicates the situation.
Fans also aren’t able to custom design a No. 18 “Harrison Jr.” or “Harrison” jersey on the NFL’s official online shop because Fanatics doesn’t currently have the rights to sell it. But if they want to get creative, fans can design a No. 18 “HarrisonJr” jersey.
A black Harrison Cardinals jersey was available for sale on the European version of NFL Shop on Monday night but was taken down by Tuesday morning.
Until a green light is given to sell Harrison’s jersey, retailers — including the Cardinals and Fanatics — are in a holding pattern.
For now, fans are left to buy unofficial Harrison jerseys if they want to sport his Cardinals threads. His college jersey isn’t available on Ohio State’s official website but can be found on other sites.
The two-time college All-American did not sign the NFLPA’s group licensing agreement at the NFL scouting combine, where most rookies ink the pact. He didn’t join the GLA, composed of 85 companies that get access to players’ names, images and likenesses for their products.
Once he signed his rookie contract in late May, Harrison automatically entered the GLA. But that didn’t automatically lead to his jersey being made and sold.
According to court documents related to the suit, court proceedings could last until June before a trial even begins, which leaves the possibility that Harrison’s jersey might not be available until then.
What’s the latest in the Fanatics lawsuit against him?
Hovering over the absence of Harrison’s jersey has been the Fanatics lawsuit. This is the first time Fanatics has sued an athlete it has worked with since its founding in 2011, the company said in a statement in May.
On May 18, Fanatics filed a lawsuit against Harrison for not fulfilling an agreement for him to provide the company with memorabilia over the next three seasons, according to a binding term sheet allegedly signed by both parties on the New York State Supreme Court website. The term sheet, allegedly signed by Harrison on May 16, 2023, was later sealed. Fanatics claims the term sheet is binding. Harrison disagrees.
According to court documents, the deal was supposed to pay Harrison $1.05 million between April 1, 2024, and March 31, 2026, in exchange for 30 game jerseys over the 2024, 2025 and 2026 seasons, and more than 35,000 autographs, with a Fanatics option for 15,000 more. Harrison has already been paid $110,000 as part of the agreement, according to the lawsuit.
In an affidavit from late July, Harrison said he never intended to be personally bound by the term sheet.
“It is not an agreement between Fanatics and me,” Harrison said in the filing. “I was never requested to, nor did I ever, sign any document that personally obligated me to do anything concerning the ‘binding term sheet.'”
Also in that affidavit, Harrison stated that his father signed the term sheet and not him. That statement, which both Harrison and his father made on affidavits under the threat of perjury, led to Fanatics refiling its suit Friday, expanding it to include the elder Harrison as a defendant and alleging that he committed fraud when he “led Fanatics to believe that Harrison Jr. had signed the Binding Term Sheet.”
The elder Harrison did not respond to a text message from ESPN, and Harrison’s attorney, Andrew Staulcup, declined to comment on ongoing litigation.
Fanatics said it was led to believe that it was negotiating the binding term sheet with Harrison through his father but that it would be Harrison who would sign the term sheet.
In the revised suit, Fanatics said the signature on the binding term sheet “bears a striking resemblance” to Harrison’s signature on the W-9 form he had to provide for his company, The Official Harrison Collection, and to the autographs being sold on the company’s website.
How has Harrison looked in the offseason?
Although the off-field uncertainty remains, Harrison hasn’t let it affect him on the field.
His first NFL training camp has been nothing short of impressive, with Harrison quickly earning the respect of his teammates, ascending to WR1 before Arizona broke minicamp in June. By the end of minicamp, Harrison had become the first receiver in line for drills, an order decided by players and an ultimate sign of respect for a rookie.
His trajectory since has been on a straight line upward.
Harrison’s training camp showcased his Hall of Fame family history, both in how he performed on the field and how he prepared off of it.
“Obviously, he’s more advanced in that he’s almost been groomed to do this since a young age,” wide receivers coach Drew Terrell said. “Since the first conversation I ever had with him in pre-draft process, he’s been a pro. He knows what the expectation is. He’s very hard on himself and knows what to expect of himself.”
Even though Harrison didn’t get a target in his three lone snaps in the team’s preseason game against the Saints, he already has shown his teammates and coaches a glimpse of what’s to come, whether that’s at practice against his own team or in a joint practice against the Indianapolis Colts.
“I think you just watch him,” Murray said. “You can watch him and tell when a guy’s got it. He’s got it.”
Coach Jonathan Gannon has been impressed with Harrison, especially by his work ethic, since he arrived in Arizona.
“He’s extremely detailed,” Gannon said. “He does a lot extra, probably too much. I’m going to be fighting him about that.
“I love extra work. We just got to be smart about it. You just got to have a routine about it, about what you’re doing. You only get one cup a day. How are you filling in your cup? And if you’re overflowing it somewhere, it’s going to take from somewhere else or you might not develop like we want you to develop. So, he’s doing a good job with his routine and his plan, what he’s doing.”
Harrison has not addressed the lawsuit publicly. When asked in Indianapolis during joint practices whether his jersey would be for sale soon, the rookie wideout said he didn’t have an update. In an Aug. 1 news conference, Harrison said he’s focused on executing on the field.
“It’s a team first, so whatever my goals may be, I always try to put the team ahead of me,” Harrison said. “They brought me here to win, so obviously that’s my No. 1 goal is to win, help this team win a football game, so I can share that one individual goal with you guys and help the team win.”
Source: www.espn.com