One week after he was drafted fourth overall by the Arizona Cardinals, Marvin Harrison Jr.’s jersey is still not available for sale.
The reason? Harrison has still not signed a preliminary NFLPA licensing agreement, much to the chagrin of any Cardinals or Ohio State fans who are looking to buy his jersey.
As for why Harrison is holding out, ESPN’s Pat McAfee reported on his show Wednesday that the issue isn’t with the NFLPA, but rather with Fanatics, the sportswear manufacturing company.
“We’ve heard from sources within the Marvin Harrison Jr. and Marvin Harrison Sr. camp. This is not about the NFLPA. Marvin Harrison Jr. will be a part of the NFLPA when the time comes,” McAfee said. “… What I’ve been told is this is not an NFLPA thing. This revolves around a deal that’s allegedly being pitched to sophomores in college who have a name by a company named Fanatics.
“I guess there was an offer made to Marvin Harrison Jr. whenever he was a sophomore in college, which has happened to a lot of guys, where if you sign an autograph deal, it’s for four years. Marvin Harrison, who doesn’t need the money, said we’re not taking that deal. So allegedly what’s happening behind the scenes is beef between Fanatics and the Marvin Harrison camp.”
If we had to guess, this will eventually be settled, and Harrison’s jersey will become available. The Biletnikoff Award winner would also then become eligible to be featured in Madden and other video games.
Until then though, fans will be kept waiting.