Marvin Harrison Jr. has adopted a highly distinctive strategy in the months leading up to the NFL Draft, and a new intriguing detail about the standout wide receiver surfaced just hours before the first round on Thursday.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Harrison had not yet signed the typical preliminary NFLPA licensing agreement as of Thursday afternoon. This agreement, commonly signed by nearly all NFL prospects, enables players to capitalize on their name and likeness before formally securing a contract with a team.
If Harrison opts not to sign the licensing agreement, his jersey won’t be available for fans to purchase, and he won’t be featured in video games like “Madden,” among other opportunities.
This situation echoes similar instances involving coaches and players over the years who couldn’t appear in video games due to licensing agreements. For example, Bill Belichick, the former head coach of the New England Patriots, has been replaced with a generic character in “Madden” due to his absence from the NFL Coaches Association. Similarly, Barry Bonds was represented by a generic player in MLB-branded games for a comparable reason.
Harrison’s decision to not sign the NFLPA licensing agreement is yet another example of how he is doing things differently from most of his peers. He also skipped several pre-draft workouts, though he recently explained the reason for that.
It’s indeed possible that Harrison could decide to sign a licensing agreement after being drafted. However, until that happens, fans won’t have the opportunity to purchase his jersey.