Arizona Cardinals rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. is now in a legal battle with Fanatics.
The apparel company filed a lawsuit against Harrison in New York Supreme Court on Saturday night, according to ESPN, alleging that he breached a contract they agreed to last May. Fanatics said that Harrison has refused to fulfill his obligations in the contract, and that he’s “publicly asserted” that the contract doesn’t actually exist.
Fanatics said that, despite paying Harrison twice, he has “refused to fulfill his obligations” after “several requests.” In fact, the company claimed, Harrison “rejected or ignored every request” that was sent.
Specifics of the deal are not yet known, and they were redacted from the lawsuit, according to ESPN. The deal was reportedly worth at least $1 million, however, and included autographs, trading cards, game-worn apparel and more.
Fanatics claims in the lawsuit that at one point Harrison said a “large competitor” made him an offer, and that he received “competing” offers from other trading card companies while demanding that Fanatics meet or exceed the other offers — which the company said Harrison never actually provided proof of. They said he had started “negotiating competing agreements with other collectible or sports trading card companies,” too.
Harrison allegedly signed his deal with Fanatics in 2023. He does not have an agent, per the report, and was instead represented by his dad — who is Hall of Fame wide receiver Marvin Harrison Sr. According to the lawsuit, they agreed to the contract in May 2023, and it was set to expire just before the NFL Draft last month. Harrison has also not yet signed the NFL Players Association’s group licensing agreement, either.
Fanatics is seeking a jury trial with its lawsuit, and it requested “millions of dollars” in damages.
The Cardinals selected Harrison with the No. 4 overall pick in the draft last month. He was widely considered the best receiver available in the draft after an excellent run at Ohio State, where he racked up more than 1,200 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns in each of his last two seasons with the Buckeyes.
