The fight between a sports memorabilia collector/dealer and the New York Giants has taken another twist.
An attorney for Eric Inselberg has filed an amended complaint in New Jersey Superior Court alleging the team sold Michael Strahan’s Super Bowl XLII jersey to him—and sent its retiring star defensive lineman a fake—complete with celebratory Gatorade stains.
The New York Daily News first reported on the amended complaint by Inselberg, who was an avid fan and die-hard collector of Giants memorabilia.
Inselberg and two others named in the complaint say the Giants lied to Chicago FBI agents and a grand jury investigating sports memorabilia fraud. In fact, Inselberg was originally indicted for fraud five years ago for selling bogus jerseys to collectors and trading card companies but charges were dropped after his attorneys provided information to government investigators that they say showed the Giants weren’t being truthful. Several other men did plead guilty in the case.
Inselberg’s 121-page complaint states the NFL team regularly created fake game-worn memorabilia including helmets from quarterback Eli Manning, who they say participated in the ruse. The Giants have continually denied any wrongdoing.
You can read the Daily News story here.