Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and Fanatics settled their nearly year-long league legal dispute, according to court documents filed with the New York Supreme Court on Thursday. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed in the filing.
The case dates back to May of 2024, when Fanatics filed a lawsuit against Harrison Jr. for breach of contract with the sports apparel and collectibles company.
The company said that Harrison Jr. agreed in May 2023 to provide Fanatics with autographed cards and his participation in promotional activities. Fanatics said that the company paid Harrison Jr., but that he never fulfilled the obligations and publicly dismissed the existence of a binding document. The company said it suffered lost profits and reputational harm, among other damages. Harrison Jr. said that his company, The Official Marvin Harrison Collection Company, not himself, signed an agreement with Fanatics, and that he was not personally bound by any obligations.
Now, the two groups have reached an end to the legal battle.
“The dispute between Fanatics and Marvin Harrison Jr. has been resolved,” Fanatics wrote in a statement. “The parties are pleased to have resolved this matter, and looking forward to a productive working relationship going forward.”
The Athletic has reached out to Harrison Jr.’s attorney, Andrew K. Staulcup, for comment.
The resolution comes nearly seven weeks after Staulcup’s motion to dismiss the case was denied.
Fanatics first filed the suit in May. In July, Harrison Jr. signed an affidavit acknowledging that The Official Marvin Harrison Collection Company signed an agreement with Fanatics, but that Harrison Jr. himself had never signed anything. Harrison Jr. also said that his father — Hall of Fame wide receiver Marvin Harrison Sr. — was an authorized representative for the Harrison Collection Company, but that Harrison Jr. was the only owner or member of the company.
In his affidavit, Harrison Sr. said that he negotiated and signed the binding term sheet with Fanatics on behalf of the Harrison Collection Company, but that there was no intention for his son to be personally bound by it.
Several weeks later, Fanatics listed Harrison Sr. as a defendant in an amended complaint. Fanatics said in the amended complaint that “the defendants have perpetrated a fraud on Fanatics through a corporate shell game that they disclosed for the first time in sworn affirmations submitted in this litigation.”
Harrison, who was the No. 4 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, recorded 62 receptions for 885 yards and a team-leading eight touchdowns in his first season with the Cardinals.
— The Athletic’s Larry Holder contributed to this story.
(Photo: Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images)