Posted on July 5, 2017, by Travis Pulver
If there is one thing NFL fans can count on from the Dallas Cowboys, it is drama. Whether it’s Jerry Jones doing whatever Jerry Jones wants to do, Ezekiel Elliot pulling down a woman’s top during a parade, or a defensive lineman getting suspended for violating the league’s drug policy, there is never a shortage of reality television-type drama involving a member(s) of the Dallas Cowboys.
With the fourth of July weekend come and gone, most teams are breathing a sigh of relief that no one had a fireworks-related accident. No fireworks incidents for the Cowboys, but there is trouble for last season’s Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Via @CFBN0W
The Golden Boy, Dak Prescott, has been accused of using a machine to sign Panini trading cards. There are many things fans are willing to put up with, but fake memorabilia? That isn’t one of them. Fans pay a lot of money for authentic merchandise with and without an autograph.
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If it does have an autograph, they trust it is actually done by the player—not a machine that happens to make a good copy.
Dak Prescott cards autographed and not autographed, are available on eBay for anywhere from $.99 to $1499. So—yeah, there is money to be made from these things which make the possibility that Dak Prescott may have used a machine to sign cards troubling, to say the least.
According to an expert, Steve Grad of Beckett Grading Services, a number of Prescott cards collectors received from Panini’s 2016 Prizm set had a ‘very machine-like feel to them.’
Grad went on to say: “I immediately knew they were autopen. I’ve never heard of a modern athlete doing this.”
It is important to point out that the autographs are not real. There is no proof that Precott is responsible or that he was aware of the deception. It would be nice to hear him, or his agent, deny the allegations, but so far there has not been a comment from him or his agent.
Panini has already come under fire once this year for items with faked autographs. Some cards with the autograph of Atlanta Falcons first-round draft pick Takkarist McKinley were found to be fakes.
The company hasn’t been forthcoming with information regarding this incident. When contacted by USA Today Sports, a representative from Panini responded by saying the company was looking into it. But when asked for his/her name, the person hung up.
Via Twitter
Prescott’s people have not responded to requests for a comment.
What is interesting about the story so far, is that while many of the titles have been accusing Prescott of wrong-doing, the stories themselves do not. They all refer to Grad or another rep from Beckett Grading Services talking about how the autographs are not authentic. But controversy involving star players with pristine images drive page views.
If the titles were more in line with the story in the post, people wouldn’t care as much.
So—what we have here is a bunch of fake autographs. They may or may not have occurred with Prescott’s knowledge and/or consent. We also have the good name of a young quarterback being dragged through the mud when there is no proof he is responsible for them.
But we all know how the (very cynical) Court of Popular Opinion is going to react.