Sports Cards Put Ncaa On Its Guard Issue Featuring Top Recruits Brings Up Eligibility Issues

A businessman selling trading cards featuring top prep athletes headed for the nation’s major colleges may get some unwanted attention from the NCAA and its members.

John Garner of Norfolk, Va., is marketing cards of top high school football, basketball and baseball athletes who recently graduated and are headed for colleges.

Jason Ott, a preseason prep All-America linebacker from Cincinnati’s Elder High School, and David Priestly, a quarterback from Cypress, Calif., are among the 79 athletes featured on the cards.

The business deal could ultimately embroil Garner in a controversy with the NCAA because college athletes are forbidden from lending their names or likenesses to such business ventures.

“It’s all right selling the cards up to the first day that the player reports for practice,” Athena Yiamouyiannis, director of legislative services for the NCAA, told The Cincinnati Enquirer.

But, she said: “If this individual continues to sell the cards after the day the athlete reports, we will ask the universities involved to take action in the students’ behalf to stop the selling of the cards.”

Yiamouyiannis said Ott’s and Priestly’s eligibility at Ohio State is not in jeopardy now but said there could be repercussions later.

Larry Romanoff, Ohio State’s assistant athletic director, was unaware of the situation.

“I guess the only thing we could do would be to write a letter to the individual and ask him to cease and desist,” Romanoff said.

Garner said he didn’t want to hurt any of the athletes.

“I’m counting on individuals buying a lot of these cards with the idea that they will some day become valuable,” Garner said. “If I would have had Ken Griffey Jr.’s picture when he graduated from high school, it would have been worth a lot of money today.”

Ott received a form in the mail from Garner; his mother, Pat, filled it out and sent it back with his picture. His only compensation will be a free card.

The offer was accepted by 30 football, 31 baseball and 18 basketball players whose cards are on sale at a price of $5 for a set of 10.

Another problem could surface if a card purchaser decides to sell them while the athlete is still enrolled at a university.

Yiamouyiannis said the NCAA has no guidelines for this.

Romanoff said Ohio State has had only one other previous experience and it involved Chris Spielman, an All-America high school linebacker who was featured on a Wheaties cereal box before he enrolled at Ohio State.

“The Wheaties people knew the NCAA rules, and as soon as he reported for practice, they stopped selling the boxes,” Romanoff said.