Gurley Admits to $3,000 in Autograph Money Over 2 Year Period

Dealers paid Georgia running back Todd Gurley more than $3,000 to sign autographs over a two-year period according to the NCAA, which suspended him until November 15.

The NCAA says Gurley admitted to taking the money and must repay a portion of it to a charity of his choice as part of his reinstatement.  He also must complete 40 hours of community service work.

According to the governing body of college sports, keeping Gurley off the field for 30 percent of the season is “consistent with precedent in similar cases”.  Officials say they strongly considered a longer suspension because the violations occurred over multiple years and involved signing sessions with “multiple individuals”.  The NCAA claims Gurley received extensive rules education about the prohibition of receiving payment for autographs. However, they say the university’s due diligence in its investigation and Gurley’s full disclosure of his involvement in the violations were factors in not keeping him off the field for the remainder of the season.

The university submitted its original reinstatement request on Wednesday, Oct. 22. The NCAA requested additional information on Friday, Oct. 24, which it received from the university on Saturday, Oct. 25, and Sunday, Oct. 26. The NCAA issued its decision to the university on Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 28.

The university appealed the decision, but it was quickly rejected.

As of this writing, more than 1,600 autographed Todd Gurley items were available on eBay.

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About Rich Mueller

Rich is the editor and founder of Sports Collectors Daily. A broadcaster and writer for more than 30 years and a collector for even longer than that, he's usually typing something somewhere. Type him back at [email protected]