Fanatics has filed a lawsuit against Arizona Cardinals rookie Marvin Harrison Jr. in New York Supreme Court, accusing him of breaching a contract he signed with the retailer in May 2023. Fanatics alleges that Harrison has refused to meet his obligations under the contract and has publicly denied the contract’s existence.
The lawsuit does not disclose the specific requirements or financial terms of the contract, but a source informed ESPN that the deal, worth at least $1 million, included autographs, signed trading cards, game-worn apparel, and other marketing activities.
The lawsuit also names “The Official Harrison Collection LLC” as a defendant. Harrison is selling signed memorabilia on the Collection’s website, with items ranging from $99.99 to $549.99. The site claims to be the exclusive source for Harrison’s signed memorabilia.
Fanatics alleges that Harrison informed them of a competing offer from a larger company and demanded that Fanatics match or exceed this offer, yet refused to provide details of these competing offers. The lawsuit asserts that Harrison has already begun negotiating with other collectible and sports trading card companies.
Fanatics and Harrison’s relationship began in 2023 when he was signed to a multiyear licensing agreement while still at Ohio State. In March 2023, Harrison signed a nonexclusive promotional agreement with Fanatics, which ended in April 2024. Seeing his potential, Fanatics negotiated a more extensive long-term deal with Harrison in April 2023, culminating in a binding term sheet on May 16, 2023, finalized two days later. The terms of this agreement are redacted in the suit, but the payment to Harrison was described as significant.
Despite receiving payments in August and October 2023, Harrison has allegedly failed to meet his contractual obligations, ignoring multiple requests from Fanatics. The lawsuit also claims Harrison disclosed confidential contract details to ESPN. On April 23, 2024, Marvin Harrison Sr. requested a copy of the binding term sheet, later asserting that no deal existed with Fanatics.
Fanatics seeks a jury trial, estimating damages in the millions, and aims to compel Harrison to fulfill his contractual duties. Additionally, Harrison has yet to sign the NFL Players Association’s group licensing agreement, which would allow his marketing by the union.
