New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning is under suspicion of taking part in a fake memorabilia scheme, after turning over an incriminating email from 2010 in which he asked the Giants' equipment manager to send him "two helmets that can pass as game used" in order to fulfill his contractual obligations with a memorabilia dealer.
Eli allegedly emailed his marketing agent moments later, “Should be able to get them for tomorrow.”
According to ESPN, before the email was submitted, the lawsuit only included an alleged conversation that took place between Manning and the Giants' equipment manager, Joe Skiba.
Additionally, the suit claims Eli was not only aware of passing off unauthentic items but also took part in their creation. The Giants were also allegedly complicit by deleting emails from their accounts.
The firm that represents the Giants in this case released the following statement, per ESPN,
"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," McCarter & English, the law firm representing the Giants in the case, said in a statement. "The email predates any litigation, and there was no legal obligation to store it on the Giants server. Eli Manning is well known for his integrity and this is just the latest misguided attempt to defame his character."
One of the plaintiffs reportedly dropped $4,300 for a “game-used” Manning helmet from the 2007 season, in which the Giants won the Super Bowl.
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