Joemailman
04-28-2006, 09:12 PM
POSTED 8:25 p.m. EDT, April 28, 2006
NEW ERA LAWYERS LASH OUT AT BUSH, GRIFFIN
At a time when reports that the family of Reggie Bush received benefits in violation of NCAA bylaws might have cost him the No. 1 overall spot in the NFL draft, lawyers for the sports marketing firm at the center of the storm are lashing out in response to suggestions that New Era attempted to extort money from the Bushes.
"We find Reggie Bush's statement that he did 'absolutely nothing wrong' to be absolutely false," writes the law firm of Watkins & Pavone in a press release disseminated early Friday evening. (We actually were on the distribution list.)
"We find these statements to be shameless falsehoods," the release states. "In point of fact, Lamar [sic] and Denise Griffin, Reggie Bush's parents, with Reggie's knowledge, defrauded our clients out of large sums of money by holding out the carrot of Bush's future football career in order to entice our clients to invest in their sports and entertainment company."
The release claims that the relationship between Michael Michaels and LaMar Griffin began in October 2004. Griffin, it is alleged, approached Michaels at a Chargers game with an "investment opportunity." Griffin, it is contended, wanted Michaels to finance Griffin's proposed sports marketing enterprise.
"In November 2004 in San Diego, Reggie Bush, recruited by his stepfather to validate Mr. Griffin's company, convinced our clients of its viability. Our clients in good faith devoted their energy and financial resources."
And then it gets really interesting.
As time passed, Griffin "began to reveal that Reggie's continued participation came with conditions." Per the press release, Griffin asked for $28,000 from Michaels and Lloyd Lake in order to "clear up some debt," which would allow Griffin to "focus" on the new endeavor. After inspecting an accounting of the Griffin debts, Michaels and Lake complied.
Next, Griffin tried to use his connection with Michaels to persuade the financially succesful Sycuan tribe to invest in the project. Griffin supposedly attended the meeting with the Sycuan tribe wearing a Reggie Bush jersey.
In April 2005, Griffin told Michaels and Lake that the family was experiencing housing problems. So Michaels leased the house that started this whole ordeal to them, but they never paid rent.
Eventually, Bush signed with Mike Ornstein to handle his marketing. Thereafter, Michaels and Lake sought legal counsel.
"The Bush family cavalierly defrauded Mr. Michaels and Mr. Lake out of approximately $300,000 in out-of-pocket costs alone, over a span of 1-1/2 years. . . . The suggestion that Reggie Bush did not know how his parents were financing their new life in an upscale residential home is preposterous."
The press release claims that, once the relationship began to sour, Bush himself sent a text message to Michaels: "Nobody is trying to screw u," Bush wrote. "We're not [trying to screw] Lloyd."
Here's our take. The fact that LaMar Griffin specifically solicited payment from prospective agents, who apparently were not previously inclined to get into the business, makes this whole thing look and feel a lot uglier. This isn't a situation of a slick-talking huckster trying to dupe Mom and Pop. This is, by all appearances, Mom and Pop trying to dupe the would-be agent into coughing up a ton of money -- and then not delivering on the promises that allegedly were made.
And it is, if true, the receipt of benefits from an agent, in violation of NCAA rules. If true, Reggie was ineligible for all of 2005.
This was posted on profootballtalk.com. If true, is this why Houston walked away from Bush? If so, could Bush slide further than anyone would have thought?
NEW ERA LAWYERS LASH OUT AT BUSH, GRIFFIN
At a time when reports that the family of Reggie Bush received benefits in violation of NCAA bylaws might have cost him the No. 1 overall spot in the NFL draft, lawyers for the sports marketing firm at the center of the storm are lashing out in response to suggestions that New Era attempted to extort money from the Bushes.
"We find Reggie Bush's statement that he did 'absolutely nothing wrong' to be absolutely false," writes the law firm of Watkins & Pavone in a press release disseminated early Friday evening. (We actually were on the distribution list.)
"We find these statements to be shameless falsehoods," the release states. "In point of fact, Lamar [sic] and Denise Griffin, Reggie Bush's parents, with Reggie's knowledge, defrauded our clients out of large sums of money by holding out the carrot of Bush's future football career in order to entice our clients to invest in their sports and entertainment company."
The release claims that the relationship between Michael Michaels and LaMar Griffin began in October 2004. Griffin, it is alleged, approached Michaels at a Chargers game with an "investment opportunity." Griffin, it is contended, wanted Michaels to finance Griffin's proposed sports marketing enterprise.
"In November 2004 in San Diego, Reggie Bush, recruited by his stepfather to validate Mr. Griffin's company, convinced our clients of its viability. Our clients in good faith devoted their energy and financial resources."
And then it gets really interesting.
As time passed, Griffin "began to reveal that Reggie's continued participation came with conditions." Per the press release, Griffin asked for $28,000 from Michaels and Lloyd Lake in order to "clear up some debt," which would allow Griffin to "focus" on the new endeavor. After inspecting an accounting of the Griffin debts, Michaels and Lake complied.
Next, Griffin tried to use his connection with Michaels to persuade the financially succesful Sycuan tribe to invest in the project. Griffin supposedly attended the meeting with the Sycuan tribe wearing a Reggie Bush jersey.
In April 2005, Griffin told Michaels and Lake that the family was experiencing housing problems. So Michaels leased the house that started this whole ordeal to them, but they never paid rent.
Eventually, Bush signed with Mike Ornstein to handle his marketing. Thereafter, Michaels and Lake sought legal counsel.
"The Bush family cavalierly defrauded Mr. Michaels and Mr. Lake out of approximately $300,000 in out-of-pocket costs alone, over a span of 1-1/2 years. . . . The suggestion that Reggie Bush did not know how his parents were financing their new life in an upscale residential home is preposterous."
The press release claims that, once the relationship began to sour, Bush himself sent a text message to Michaels: "Nobody is trying to screw u," Bush wrote. "We're not [trying to screw] Lloyd."
Here's our take. The fact that LaMar Griffin specifically solicited payment from prospective agents, who apparently were not previously inclined to get into the business, makes this whole thing look and feel a lot uglier. This isn't a situation of a slick-talking huckster trying to dupe Mom and Pop. This is, by all appearances, Mom and Pop trying to dupe the would-be agent into coughing up a ton of money -- and then not delivering on the promises that allegedly were made.
And it is, if true, the receipt of benefits from an agent, in violation of NCAA rules. If true, Reggie was ineligible for all of 2005.
This was posted on profootballtalk.com. If true, is this why Houston walked away from Bush? If so, could Bush slide further than anyone would have thought?