Ex-Ohio State football player becoming a distraction for his new team already

Former Ohio State football player Marvin Harrison Jr. was an excellent college football player. He was the best receiver in college football last season. Quite frankly, I thought he was the best receiver in college football in 2022 as well. He was a massive weapon for the Buckeyes.

Just two weeks ago, Harrison Jr. was the fourth overall pick in the NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals. He was the first non-quarterback taken in the Draft. He certainly deserved it after the career he put together at Ohio State. His rookie year is already off to a rocky start though.

It has been two weeks since he was drafted. Yet, fans still can't buy his jersey. He won't be in the most recent edition of Madden. Why? A recent ESPN article laid it out. Harrison Jr. still hasn't signed his paperwork to let the NFPA and Fanatics use his likeness.

The biggest question is, why? Apparently, Harrison Jr. is trying to leverage more money from Fanatics. Since he signed a $1 million NIL deal with Fanatics while he was with the Ohio State football program, he thinks he deserves more than the baseline of $30,000 that incoming players get.

This is an un-needed distraction for Harrison Jr. as he heads into his rookie season. He comes from money. His dad was a Hall of Famer receiver for the Indianapolis Colts. Harrison Jr. is not hurting for cash and he's going to make a ton of money if he plays well in the league.

Why is he focusing on this instead of trying to be the best pro he can be early in his career? It seems like an unnecessary distraction for the Arizona media to lock in on. It's unclear when this will be resolved. For everyone's sake, I hope it's soon.