Keyshawn Johnson sues NFL agent for almost $1 million from alleged ‘oral agreement'
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.
'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.'
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.'
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.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Nik Bonitto returns from bone spur removal and insists that contract talks aren't bogging him down
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — All-Pro outside linebacker Nik Bonitto is back on the field and still unruffled by protracted negotiations on a contract extension. Bonitto practiced Tuesday for the first time since having a bone spur removed from the top of his right foot last week following a spectacular preseason debut. If all goes well, Bonitto will play Saturday at New Orleans in the Broncos' final tune-up for their Sept. 7 opener against the Tennessee Titans. Bonitto played a dozen snaps in the Broncos' 30-9 win at San Francisco on Aug. 9 when he showed once again that a looming contract extension isn't bothering him. He sacked Mac Jones on first down, forced him to step into a sack by John Franklin-Meyers on second down and then forced him into an incompletion to avoid a 25-yard loss on third down. 'He did ruin that whole series,' said 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan. 'Bonitto is a hell of a player.' Bonitto came up limping after his 12-snap debut, however, and a few days later he underwent surgery to remove the bone spur. 'It was just a thing that showed up in the 49ers (joint) practice' on Aug. 7, Bonitto said. 'And it was kind of bothering me, bothering me, I was trying to fight through it in the game.' Bonitto said he decided to heed the advice of coach Sean Payton and the Broncos' medical staff and have the bone spur removed during camp rather than deal with it during the season. 'It was just something where we could either keep trying to fight through this throughout the season or have the procedure done and not worry about it,' Bonitto said. Although he appeared to move around well at practice, Bonitto said he's still on the mend. A two-time All-American at Oklahoma and a second-round pick in 2023, Bonitto is in line for a big pay raise after his breakout 2024 season when he helped the Broncos lead the league with 63 sacks and go from 27th in points allowed in 2023 to third last year. Bonitto set career highs with 48 tackles, 24 quarterback hits, 13 1/2 sacks, 16 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, three pass breakups, an interception and two defensive touchdowns. He earned a Pro Bowl berth and a second-team All-Pro selection. The Broncos entered training camp with a trio of veterans in line for big contract extensions and they quickly got two of them done. Wide receiver Courtland Sutton signed a four-year, $92 million deal and All-Pro defensive tackle Zach Allen signed a four-year, $102 million extension on Aug. 2. Bonitto is still waiting for his big payday. Negotiations are 'going well,' he said. 'I feel like there's been good communication on both sides. I think it's just my agent (Tory Dandy of CAA Football), I feel like he's one of the best in the game. I feel like I gotta trust what he's doing. And knowing how they feel about me upstairs, I feel like something will get done. It's just a matter of when." Complicating the timeline is the unsigned status of Cincinnati's Trey Hendrickson, last season's sacks leader, and Dallas' Micah Parsons, leaving the edge rusher market still in flux. Bonitto demurred when asked if he preferred to wait for one of those deals to get done, and he said he doesn't necessarily need to sign an extension before the start of the season. 'I mean, at the end of the day I'm still under contract for another year," he said. "So, yeah, I would like to get the contract done, but that's the least of my worries, honestly. I just want to compete for a championship this year, do all the things that we have set out to do as a team and as a defense.' Asked what his goals for 2025 are, Bonitto said, 'We want to have the No. 1 defense and as far as individual, just be better than last year.' ___ AP NFL:
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Rodgers, Heyward, Watt and Metcalf will sit out the Steelers' preseason finale
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Aaron Rodgers' first official snaps with the Pittsburgh Steelers will have to wait until Week 1. Coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday that the four-time MVP, along with All-Pro defensive tackle Cam Heyward, star outside linebacker T.J. Watt and wide receiver DK Metcalf, will not play against Carolina in Pittsburgh's preseason finale on Thursday. Everyone else on the roster that's healthy, including defensive backs Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay, running back Jaylen Warren and tight end Pat Freiermuth, could see the field in Carolina. All were part of a sizeable group that watched Pittsburgh's first two exhibitions from the sideline. Yet with more than two weeks to prepare for the opener on the road at the New York Jets, Tomlin sees an opportunity for the majority of his team to knock off some rust before the games start counting. The 41-year-old Rodgers has said throughout training camp that he'd be more than willing to take the field. Tomlin said he's seen enough progress over the last month that there's no need to put Rodgers in harm's way. 'I'm comfortable with what I'm seeing out here, obviously,' Tomlin said. "If I weren't, I'd be playing him.' Asked Tuesday what he wants to see coming out of Carolina, Rodgers repeated the word 'health' multiple times. The decision not to have Rodgers take the field for at least a series during the preseason is an unusual step for Tomlin, who is entering his 19th season with the Steelers. Longtime Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger always saw some level of game action in August, and each of the Week 1 starters since Roethlisberger's January 2022 retirement — Mitch Trubisky, Kenny Pickett and Justin Fields — all made at least a token appearance, if not more, in the preseason. Like that trio, Rodgers is in his first year in Pittsburgh. Unlike that trio, Rodgers is the league's oldest active player and still less than 24 months removed from an Achilles tendon injury that cut short his initial season with the Jets in 2023 after just four snaps. There's a chance Pittsburgh's new-look secondary could play together for the first time against the Panthers. The Steelers added cornerbacks Ramsey and Slay — who have a combined 13 Pro Bowl appearances and two Super Bowl rings between them — in the offseason to join a group that includes Joey Porter Jr. and DeShaun Elliott. The group has been dominant at times during training camp, but save for a joint scrimmage with Tampa Bay last week, has yet to see the field together against an opposing team. That could change on Thursday, though Tomlin indicated plans may change if the Panthers decide to sit quarterback Bryce Young and running back Chuba Hubbard, among others. 'There's a collective component, a communication component, a coordination component to what they do, and if they get the opportunity to get some snaps against some capable people in the stadium, we'd appreciate it,' Tomlin said. While Heyward will not play, he did return to practice on Tuesday for the first time in nearly two weeks. The 35-year-old four-time All-Pro has been in attendance but not participating on the field as he seeks a bump in pay following a bounce-back season in which he collected eight sacks following an injury-marred 2023. Asked if Heyward's familiar No. 97 being on the field signals a shift, Tomlin deferred to Heyward. Heyward went to the trainer's room after practice and did not speak to reporters. ___ AP NFL:
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon eager to keep proving skeptics wrong as he adapts to expanded role
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay's Keisean Nixon has heard the criticism about how the Packers' pass coverage could struggle without departed two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander. Nixon takes those words in stride. He notes that he's been doubted ever since arriving in the NFL in 2019 as an undrafted free agent from South Carolina. Even as he developed into a two-time All-Pro kick returner, Nixon remembered getting labeled as merely a special-teams guy or later as a nickelback. Nixon then played primarily cornerback in 2024 while stepping in for the injured Alexander, who played just seven games last season before getting released in June and eventually signing with the Baltimore Ravens. Alexander's exit means Nixon enters the season as the Packers' likely No. 1 cornerback. He's eager for the opportunity to face an opponent's top receiver each week. 'My confidence level is just through the roof right now,' Nixon said Tuesday. 'It doesn't really matter who's going to be out there. They're going to have to see me just like I've got to see them.' Nixon, 28, took a long road to get to this point. He spent his first three NFL seasons with the Raiders, emerging as a key special-teams performer but never playing more than 15% of the team's defensive snaps in any of those years. Nixon joined the Packers in 2022 while his role on defense gradually expanded. He played 28% of the Packers' defensive snaps in 2022, 73% in 2023 and 94% last season. 'With the Raiders, I wasn't really able to do anything,' Nixon said. 'I literally just sat there for three years, I guess making money just being on the team. They wouldn't trade me or get rid of me, so I was just there. When I finally got to Green Bay, I just kept checking boxes, checking boxes. They asked me to do something, I did it. Gave me another role, I did that. Gave me another role. Now I've got the biggest role they can give me.' Nixon made a career-high 88 tackles last season and was the only NFL defensive back to have at least three sacks, three forced fumbles and one interception. That has the Packers confident he can thrive as a full-time cornerback. 'He's competitive,' defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said. 'He can play man coverage, which is important. You have to be able to play man to be on the outside. Because he can run, he can cover, he can change direction, and I like that he'll tackle. He's a physical guy. Teams are going to try to get your corners one-on-one and force them to tackle. And he's going to do that.' Nixon prepared for his expanded role by studying film and paying attention to other cornerbacks. He singled out Washington's Marshon Lattimore and Cleveland's Denzel Ward as two of his favorites because of the way they play man-to-man coverage. After being labeled by his perceived limitations, Nixon is eager to showcase just how well he can handle increased responsibilities. 'I just never let anybody put me in a box,' Nixon said. 'My confidence and my skill level has always been there. I just had to find a role to just get to where I want to go. Everything they've ever asked me to do, I always did it at a high level. That's just what it was. I've always been good at everything I do. That just comes with what God gave me. Now I've got the perfect way to show it on the biggest stage this year.' Nixon also wouldn't mind continuing to show off his ability as a kick returner. After saying at the end of last season that he didn't want to return kicks anymore, Nixon backed off that statement earlier this summer. Nixon said Tuesday he'd welcome the chance to keep returning kicks. 'With the game on the line, I want the ball in my hands, at the end of the day,' Nixon said. 'I don't think nobody can mess with me when I've got the ball in my hands. It's just being a Swiss Army knife, being able to do it. Some of the greats did it: Deion (Sanders), Charles Woodson, stuff like that. I just want to put my name in that hat.' NOTES: Packers coach Matt LaFleur said QB Jordan Love's role in Thursday's joint practice with the Seattle Seahawks would be 'very limited.' Love has been practicing the last two days with his left (non-throwing) hand heavily taped, a week after undergoing thumb surgery. LaFleur said the joint practice could include 7-on-7 workouts to allow Love to participate. … K Brandon McManus served as a surprise side judge in Tuesday's practice. 'Anytime he saw I was trash talking, he threw a flag at me,' Nixon said. 'Bogus.' ___ AP NFL:
