Georgia's Todd Gurley autograph details emerge
The man behind the Todd Gurley autograph scandal revealed to Brett McMurphy of ESPN that he never intended to cause Georgia star running back any harm.
"Because I never wanted to screw over Gurley. I never wanted to screw over their fans or anything like that," said Bryan Allen. "That was never my intention. I wish I had never even gone down there. It's not worth it."
Allen told ESPN in a previous interview that Gurley signed anything and everything in the parking lot of his Athens, Georgia, apartment complex. Allen claimed that he pulled $400 from his pocket and placed it on the dash of his vehicle, and that Gurley took the money and walked away.
Allen provided Sports Illustrated with video footage that allegedly shows Gurley signing autographs for Allen in a vehicle:
The NCAA suspended Gurley after learning about the incident from Allen himself. Allen insisted that when he emailed the media and contacted the school, his motive was not financial gain. Rather, Allen thought someone was "setting him up," and he wanted to tell his side of the story first.
He identified Shane Smith, who, according to Allen, admitted to Georgia officials that he'd been paying Gurley for autographs since Gurley's freshman year.
Allen claims he never contacted Gurley. "I've never brokered a deal. I never called a player, never set up a signing, said Allen. "That's a huge part I want out there."
Of the 80 items Gurley signed for Allen and Smith, Allen said he sold only three for a total of $150.
On Oct. 29, the NCAA announced Gurley's four-game suspension for "accepting more than $3,000 from multiple individuals for autograph memorabilia and other items over a two-year period."
In his first game back from his suspension on Nov. 15, Gurley suffered a season-ending ACL tear against Auburn.