New York Giants QB Eli Manning Lawsuit Proceeds

New York Giants Quarterback Eli Manning has recently found himself in news headlines for reasons outside of the football field. Manning, who has been the starting quarterback for the Giants since getting drafted in 2004 is currently in the midst of ongoing litigation that started in 2014 for his alleged participation in a scheme to defraud sports memorabilia collectors. 

While many initially thought the case lacked merit as it was dropped after Manning provided evidence the involved Giants employees misrepresented their relationship with him. Since, a New Jersey judge ruled the trial will go forward as two other collectors filed separate suits against manning. These separate suites named Giants co-owner John Mara, equipment manager John Skiba, and Steiner Sports, a memorabilia company Manning had been contracted with to provide authentic memorabilia.  The lawsuit, however, alleges Manning had team staffers create fake versions of helmets and jerseys to avoid providing authentic ones.  Manning refutes the allegations and says he has never done what he was accused of doing.

In February, the plaintiffs had a photo-matching expert testify that images of four of five helmets did not correspond to what had been sold as game-used items by manning. Plaintiffs also referenced a December deposition from Giants co-owner John Mara in which he stated that he knew nothing about the accusations until the 2014 lawsuit was filed. While the judge recently dismissed the majority of the claims against equipment manager John Skiba, Manning and Steiner Sports are set to defend themselves against fraud and negligent misrepresentation claims.