Keyshawn Johnson sues NFL agent for almost $1 million from alleged 'oral agreement'
Former USC and NFL player Keyshawn Johnson is suing sports agent Christopher Ellison for nearly $1 million for allegedly breaking an oral agreement between them.(Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press)Keyshawn Johnson is suing a sports agent for almost $1 million.
Johnson says he recruited several players, who are now in the NFL, to be represented by Christopher Ellison. The former NFL and USC star's claim is based on an alleged oral agreement the men made a decade ago to pay Johnson for his efforts. Most of the $1 million represents back payments that Johnson feels he is owed.
A lawsuit filed May 23 in Los Angeles County Superior Court alleges that Johnson and Ellison had agreed that Johnson "was to identify players, make the initial contact with them, and recruit them to be represented by" Ellison.
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"In return for this player identification, recruitment and eventual entry into the highest level of the game of football, Defendant promised to pay Plaintiff a specific percentage of the player's signed contract with the NFL," the lawsuit states. "Each year, Defendant promised to pay Plaintiff one-third of the (3%) three percent commission Defendant made on each of the players' salary."
According to the lawsuit, Johnson successfully recruited four players - San Francisco 49ers defensive back Deommodore Lenoir, Chicago Bears defensive back Jaylon Johnson, Atlanta Falcons defensive back Mike Hughes and Green Bay Packers receiver Romeo Doubs - for Ellison but "has not received his earned percentage of Defendant's full commission."
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Ellison did not immediately respond to The Times' request for comment. TMZ reports that the attorney and UCLA adjunct professor "denies all of the claims Johnson made in the suit."
The lawsuit details each player's contract and states that Johnson should have been paid "no less than $962,335 from his work on securing these player agreements." But, according to the filing, no payment has been received.
"For several months, Defendant claimed he had not received any payments for the NFL's recruitment of the players he represents," the lawsuit states. "It is our reasonable belief that this is false."
Since then, the filing alleges, Ellison "has become unresponsive to Plaintiff's demands for payment."
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Johnson is seeking the full amount he states he is owed - as well as other damages, costs and fees - for causes of action that include breach of contract, unfair business practices and intentional misrepresentation.
A two-time All-American at USC, Johnson was named the MVP of the 1995 Cotton Bowl Classic and the player of the game in the 1996 Rose Bowl. During his 11-year NFL career, Johnson made three Pro Bowls and won Super Bowl XXXVII with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Since retirement, he has become a sports media personality and, according to his lawsuit, "currently works to coach and develop prospective NFL players."
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.