Fanatics Adds Marvin Harrison Sr. to Lawsuit Over Son’s Deal

Fanatics has refiled its lawsuit against Cardinals rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. with a new addition—the elder Marvin Harrison. 

In a new filing in the New York state Supreme Court, the amended lawsuit says Harrison Sr. “aided and abetted Harrison Jr.’s fraud on Fanatics.” The elder Harrison was a legendary Hall of Fame receiver for the Colts, while his son is about to begin his NFL career with the Cardinals.

The original lawsuit was filed in the spring, accusing Harrison Jr. of not fulfilling his contractual obligations of a deal he signed with the sports retail giant in May 2023. In a July 26 affidavit, Harrison Jr. said the agreement was between Fanatics and The Official Harrison Collection and was signed by his father, which Marvin Sr. confirmed in a separate affidavit. 

That affidavit opened the door for Fanatics to refile its lawsuit. In the new filing, the company said it has sworn affidavits from both Harrisons on July 31 that say Marvin Sr. signed his son’s contract on behalf of the Harrison Collection LLC.

“Harrison Sr. intentionally signed the Binding Terms Sheet in such a manner in order to lead Fanatics to reasonably believe that Harrison Jr. was the true signatory when in fact he was not,” the suit states.

Fanatics has estimated the damage to be “millions of dollars,” and ESPN has previously reported the contract was for $1 million for autographs, trading cards, game-worn apparel, and other marketing opportunities. Courtroom documents filed by Fanatics accuse Harrison Jr. of failing to fulfill the deal. 

Harrison Jr. has tried to retaliate against Fanatics in his own ways, initially refusing to sign the NFL Players Association licensing agreement that allows products such as his jersey to be made. He eventually relented and signed the agreement, but still had the NFLPA tell the Cardinals, Fanatics, and NFL not to produce his jersey.