Marvin Harrison Jr. took an unorthodox approach to the pre-draft process, skipping workouts at the scouting combine and Ohio State Pro Day to "prepare for the NFL season" instead. Now the consensus top wide receiver in the 2024 NFL Draft is paving his own path off the field as well.
Hours ahead of the start of the first round, Harrison still had yet to sign a preliminary licensing agreement with the NFL Players Association, according to ESPN, which is standard practice for anticipated draftees. This would allow Harrison's name and likeness to be monetized once drafted, even before he signs an official NFL contract.
What does this mean for the Buckeyes product, and/or his fans? For one, there will be no Marvin Harrison Jr. jerseys immediately available for purchase once the soon-to-be rookie is drafted, as the NFLPA licenses players' names for official apparel, and he cannot be featured in any NFL-licensed video games, such as the next edition of the "Madden" franchise.
It's possible Harrison will never sign an official NFLPA licensing deal, according to NBC Sports.
"He might retain his full rights, without joining the herd," speculates Mike Florio. "Maybe he'll design and sell his own jersey. Maybe he'll do his own deal with EA (Sports) to appear in the 'Madden' game. Players must join the union. They are not required to join the group licensing portion of it. They retain their full NIL (name/image/likeness) rights. For a new age of college players who profited significantly from NIL deals, why sign anything away to anyone else?"
