Georgia autograph broker breaks silence on Todd Gurley signing
Bryan Allen, the man who paid Todd Gurley $400 for autographed memorabilia, spoke to ESPN and Sports Illustrated about the signing.
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One of the autograph brokers involved with Todd Gurley's NCAA violations wants the world to know that he never meant to "screw over" Gurley or the Bulldogs' football team.
Speaking to ESPN and Sports Illustrated for the first time since Gurley was suspended indefinitely, Bryan Allen, of Douglasville, Ga., said he regrets emailing multiple media outlets with the story and the way things have played out since he paid Gurley $400 in cash for signing about 80 items of memorabilia.
Allen says that in the months after the signing, he began to receive strange phone calls and grew concerned that he might be in trouble. Following a friend's advice to "nip it in the bud," Allen began to email media members about the signing, requesting privacy and in a few cases mentioning compensation. However, ESPN.com noted that Allen claims he never sought compensation.
Sports Illustrated has also posted an edited version of Allen's video, which allegedly shows Gurley signing glossy photos and helmets in the front seat of a car. Allen identified the other man in the video as Shane Smith, the man who Allen claims arranged the signing with Gurley.
While Allen was part of the $400 signing, he said Smith admitted to Georgia officials paying Gurley thousands of dollars since his freshman year to autograph memorabilia. A source confirmed Allen's claim. Brad McFall, Smith's attorney, told ESPN: "At this time, we see no benefit in commenting as to the accuracy or inaccuracy of Mr. Allen's comments."
Allen claims he never contacted Gurley.
"I have never contacted any [player]," he said. "I've never brokered a deal. I never called a player, never set up a signing. That's a huge part I want out there.
"This guy [Smith] came to me and asked me will you help me with this? You can't put the blame on one person; because everyone's equally to blame. All I had to do was tell him no and none of this happens. I do take responsibility; my intentions were never to get rich.
"I think people think I was this autograph broker that was dangling this carrot in front of these young college kids, and that's the furthest thing from it. I was not an autograph broker."
Todd Gurley's punishment from the NCAA was a four-game suspension for "accepting more than $3,000 from multiple individuals for autograph memorabilia and other items over a two-year period." He suffered a season-ending knee injury in his first game back, against Auburn on Nov. 15.
