Keyshawn Johnson, a former wide receiver for the NFL, is suing agent Chris Ellison for damages totaling almost $1 million. Johnson claims that after an apparent agreement the two had made years prior that Johnson would be compensated for his services, he persuaded a number of NFL players to join with Ellison.
Johnson claims he “was to identify players, make the initial contact with them, and recruit them to be represented by” Ellison in the case, which he filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on May 23. TMZ was the first to report on the lawsuit.
According to the lawsuit, Johnson signed four players with Ellison:
- Atlanta Falcons cornerback Mike Hughes
- Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson
- Green Bay Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs
- San Francisco 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir
According to the lawsuit, Ellison agreed to provide Johnson a third of the 3% commission he received from each player’s salary. The total is $962,335.
Ellison denied Johnson’s allegations in this lawsuit, he told TMZ Sports. Ellison might have problems if the two had an arrangement and the players mentioned were unaware of it. Agents must tell their clients and the NFL Players Association about those kinds of contracts, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
