Marvin Harrison Jr., the talented Ohio State alumnus recently drafted by the Arizona Cardinals, finds himself in a puzzling situation regarding the rights to his trading cards and autographs as he transitions from collegiate football to the big leagues. Despite having inked a multi-year deal with the prominent sports merchandising company Fanatics prior to his final season at Ohio State for various merchandising aspects, his professional merchandising rights are now up in the air.
Recent reports from ESPN highlight that Harrison is yet to finalize an agreement with NFL Players Inc., the licensing entity responsible for coordinating the collective marketing of NFL players’ rights. This contractual arrangement is crucial for players to feature in official NFL merchandise like trading cards and team jerseys. The delay in signing this agreement is reportedly linked to Harrison’s pursuit of a more lucrative deal to extend his contract with Fanatics.
Initially, Harrison’s deal with Fanatics encompassed a range of elements including autographs, trading cards showcasing his image, and even game-worn attire. During the previous season, he was featured in Topps’ Bowman U line, with his sticker autographs being part of these collections.
Should Harrison successfully negotiate a new pact with Fanatics, industry insiders anticipate that Topps, now under the Fanatics umbrella, would be responsible for producing his NFL trading cards and autographs. Consequently, this move could potentially prevent his autographs from being featured in Panini’s trading card packs as Fanatics typically secures exclusive agreements.
This situation draws parallels to CJ Stroud, another Ohio State standout now playing as the Houston Texans quarterback, who exclusively aligned with Fanatics while also striking a deal with the NFLPA’s marketing division. This unique setup allowed Panini to incorporate Stroud in their card assortments, although only Fanatics/Topps had the rights to his autograph cards once he entered the NFL fray.
In the midst of this merchandising ambiguity, Harrison remains actively engaged with his loyal fan base by vending autographed merchandise directly through his personal website. Among the array of items he offers are jerseys, helmets, and footballs, demonstrating a commitment to interacting with fans even as his official NFL merchandising status hangs in the balance.
