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Authenticity is Everything
Eli Manning Selling Bogus Memorabilia
Usually when you hear about bogus stuff involving sports memorabilia, it’s companies pawning off forgeries. This latest one I heard about is interesting, because it involves the athlete. And I’ve often wondered if athletes did this.
One of the reasons I’ve thought about it is hearing pro athletes talk about all the stuff fans want to buy from them. Another reason is when I worked as a morning DJ at a radio station, we had an attractive DJ working the afternoon shift. When we were auctioning off items for a charity (some of them autographed by musicians who had come in for interviews), somebody called in and said they’d give us $100 for an autographed bra from said DJ. We called her (off the air) and she said “No way, that’s creepy.” We told her it was for charity, but she wouldn’t budge. Finally, I said “What if I go buy a bra from the store. I’ll tell them it is one that you wore and then autographed.”
She agreed to that, and signed one cup, and inscribed the other. The bidding got up to a thousand bucks. It was a success, but you know what? Technically, it was a bogus item. She had never worn the bra. She merely signed it. Sure, I picked one up that was the same cup size. But ya know what? I digress (that happens when I talk about 42D breasts).
Sports autographs are always dicey when it comes to purchases. We’ve all read those articles where the FBI has claimed that 90% of the autographed sports memorabilia is fake. Well, it was always a safe assumption that if you did purchase something from the player directly (ie their website or charity), you’re getting the real deal [although, if you read that Jerry Lee Lewis thread on this site, you can’t be so sure about that either].
There’s a civil lawsuit currently that accuses New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning of knowingly defrauding collectors.
In the case, documents show a 2010 email in which Manning asked an equipment manager of the team to produce “two helmets that can pass as game-used” for Manning’s co-defendant, Steiner Sports. They were later marketed and sold as authentic.
There are a lot of stories about how this will hurt Manning’s value in regards to commercial endorsements. I think that’s not a big deal. Heck, his brother got away with sexually harassing a woman, settled with her twice -- and he still seems to be on lots of commercials (although he’s also a much better QB). It’s merely merchandise he may try to pitch that might take a hit. It’s estimated that Eli makes about $8 million a year in endorsements (not bad for a QB that’s merely above average, in my opinion).
The trial starts in September, and it seems, the Giants may be in a bit of trouble for deleting emails about the case. That’s a violation of team policy.
Three plaintiffs are seeking unspecified damages.
What I’ve always found fascinating with legal cases, are the BS arguments defendants try to make. For example, after OJ Simpson killed his wife and Ron (allegedly), he told his friend he didn’t want to take a lie detector because he’s had dreams of killing her, so that might cause him to fail one. The defense in this case said, “The email, taken out of context, was shared with the media by an unscrupulous memorabilia dealer and his counsel who for years has been seeking to leverage a big payday.”
Uh, yeah. Why not seek a big payday?
I wonder how the email ever got out if it was merely sent to an equipment manager. I also wonder why, in this day and age, anybody would write ANYTHING incriminating in an email. If I was ever involved in illegal activity, I’d consider asking for the favor in person. Example: Hi Mr. Cyrkin. I know, I know...I shouldn’t have shown up at your house unexpectedly. But...can you help me bury this body I have in the trunk of my car?”
There’s talk that this case could lead to the NFL suspending him for their personal conduct policy. I doubt that will happen. An NFL quarterback once killed dogs and had a dog fighting ring. He was back in the league a few years later. An NFL player, and one of the best defensive players ever, was involved in a murder. He had blood on his suit. He lied to investigators, and….he never missed a game.
Now, for no reason at all (other then I like Three Dog Night), I’ll end with this:
Eli's comin'
Eli's comin' (Eli's a-comin')
Well you better hide your heart, your loving heart
Eli's a-comin' and the cards say... a broken heart
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Comment by Dane on April 16, 2017 at 6:44pm
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I've been giving some thought to this entire foray, and I've wondered:
What if Eli merely meant that he wanted the EQ manager to give a helmet with a lot of marks, as opposed to one that didn't show as much use.
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Comment by Coachgd on April 16, 2017 at 7:46pm
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How many helmets does a player go through in a season? Back in 2010, teams were permitted to use different helmets for their "throwback" uniforms. So I would say 3 at the most. I believe last year that was not allowed due to specific helmet fittings for each player thanks to concussions. So if he asked if one could pass for "game used" was he looking for a qb helmet that was similar to his, they could put some stickers on it and pass it off as "game used" even if it wasn't his? It that's the case, that is fraudulent. If it's like what Dane suggests, then he has a good case. Great question!
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Comment by AnakinAutos on April 16, 2017 at 8:54pm
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Agree with Dane - here's no proof Eli was trying to scam anyone.
He has no reason to. The financial benefit was too minuscule.
As for how many helmets I think now they are limited to a couple per season due to concussion testing etc
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Comment by Josh Board on April 16, 2017 at 9:51pm
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It's all so interesting. I remember seeing a fairly famous guitarist in concert, and he used a different guitar for each song on purpose, because he said those guitars were all going to be autographed and auctioned for charity. I thought that was cool.
And of course, Presidents do that deal with pens. They use different pens for various bills they're signing, so they can give those as gifts (a few have made it to eBay for around $500). President Obama had the weirdest moment with this. He used a different pen, for each friggin' letter of his name a few times!
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Comment by Rich on April 19, 2017 at 4:24am
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New ESPN article this morning about this situation.
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/19189316/steiner-ceo-hopes-sport...
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Comment by Ian Baldock on April 19, 2017 at 3:27pm
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At the moment I would give Eli the benefit of the doubt and the chance to clear his name. However if its found out he scammed Steiner, I hope he gets suspended as well as suffer a lawsuit .
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Comment by BallroomDays67 on April 19, 2017 at 4:11pm
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I couldn't agree more, Ian. While it certainly could be true, we've seen how important it is not to jump to conclusions in this type of situation. It's best to wait until the picture is clearer.
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Comment by CJCollector on April 20, 2017 at 2:45pm
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I've been a big Eli Manning fan since his rookie year and I am more than willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
People are so quick to trash him, but let's wait to see the final outcome of all of this.
He's been a stellar person all of these years.
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Here's what I find amusing. He said the email was taken out of context. Now...when somebody says that, I always look at said email and say to myself...how can it be taken out of context? He's asking an equipment manager to make helmets look scuffed up or whatever. Uh...for what reason? Now...had he said something like "Are any of my game worn helmets scruffy looking? I'd like them to really, really look used, even more so then they do after games." That would make sense. But seriously...how was the email "taken out of context"? If he's innocent (as all of you are so quick to give him the "benefit of the doubt")...then he should explain that.
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I also wonder why, in this day and age, anybody would write ANYTHING incriminating in an email.
I immediately think of that Deadspin writer who described him as "dumbest kid at your seven-year-old’s birthday party."
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