Odell Beckham Jr. has filed a lawsuit against Nike, after accusing the brand of swindling him out of millions of dollars by suppressing sales of sneakers that would've triggered a contract extension.
30-year-old Odell Beckham Jr.'s attorney, Daniel Davillier, laid out their claims against the shoewear giant.
TMZ reported that Odell alleged that after his original Nike deal expired in 2017, he considered jumping ship to Adidas who offered him a huge contract.
However, not wanting to lose a marquee talent, Odell said Nike exercised their right to match the Adidas deal. Odell claimed the fine print was different and it wasn't really the same deal
The NFL star who noted that the way the Nike deal was structured made it nearly impossible for him to trigger very valuable extensions of the deal, added that the relationship with the shoewear giant began to sour around March 2022 when he was due a payment of around $2.6 million.
Odell said Nike without any warning, withheld more than $2 million of the payment. According to him, Nike withheld the money because the company said he committed footwear and glove violations when he altered his equipment towards the end of last season.
He however insisted that he said he was forced to personally customize his cleats because Nike failed to give him cleats that matched the colors of his new team.
Odell who averred that he always customizes the equipment to fit his "high fashion brand" and Nike never had a problem with it in the past, further alleged that the brand manufactured the penalties as a way to pressure him into signing a less lucrative deal with them.
Odell says the fine print screwed him out of over $20 million and he wants the money.
A statement released by the Super Bowl champ read;
"Being a Nike Athlete and Brand Icon was a dream I've had since being a young boy. I wanted to be the next Michael Jordan, Bo Jackson, LeBron James or Kobe Bryant in the Nike Family.
"When Nike exercised its right of first refusal to match the Adidas offer and not only kept me as a Nike Athlete, but also made me one of their Brand Icons – my dream had been fulfilled.
"Unfortunately, Nike did not honor its commitments. Throughout our partnership, I have kept my promise and fulfilled my obligations to the brand. I am extremely disappointed that I’ve had to take these measures to ensure Nike fulfills their obligations and promises.
"Today, I'm taking a stand not just for me, but to set a precedent for all athletes who have dedicated their life to the sport they love – especially those who don't have the means to stand up for themselves. We are held responsible for fulfilling our obligations under our contracts, but we also have to hold powerful companies like Nike accountable for honoring their commitments too.
"I look forward to resolving this issue and hope we can start a real conversation about protecting athletes and their rights. This happens too often in the sports industry and it's time for change.
"As this is now a legal matter, please refer any questions to my attorney, Daniel Davillier."
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