Steiner weighs in on Eli Manning controversy

[Eric]

From Brandon Steiner's twitter...

https://twitter.com/BrandonSteiner/status/438471679618985985

69740

[Phil316]

Brandon has everything to lose. The guy will admit nothing even though people within his company even questioned the use on items. Heck a forum member was even duped into buying a supposed game used helmet. You cannot tell me Steiner did not notice the missing Velcro in the helmet. It even came with 4 COA's as well. Buyer beware is all I can say.

[GMEN92]

Brandon has everything to lose. The guy will admit nothing even though people within his company even questioned the use on items. Heck a forum member was even duped into buying a supposed game used helmet. You cannot tell me Steiner did not notice the missing Velcro in the helmet. It even came with 4 COA's as well. Buyer beware is all I can say.

Exactly..

[gingi79]

Brandon has stated on numerous interviews that he started his company based upon trying to market a Mark Messier SCF signed photo previously published from the 1994 Finals. He obtained the rights to said photo and built his worthless business from there. "Starting in 1987", the first line of this release is a bold faced lie.

He then allowed a QVC program to market his products without disclosing they were "at auction" and without telling buyers there was a "!00% buyers premium"

Under his control the NY Rangers wear sets of jerseys to match demand. If a third buyer shows interest in a jersey when the first two sets sell? He'll wear another.

[emann]

Buyer beware is all I can say.

+1.

[dnrapp]

Brandon has everything to lose. The guy will admit nothing even though people within his company even questioned the use on items. Heck a forum member was even duped into buying a supposed game used helmet. You cannot tell me Steiner did not notice the missing Velcro in the helmet. It even came with 4 COA's as well. Buyer beware is all I can say.

But if I remember the post correctly. The Forum member did not buy the helmet from Steiner he bought it from someone who said they bought it from Steiner.

[Phil316]

But if I remember the post correctly. The Forum member did not buy the helmet from Steiner he bought it from someone who said they bought it from Steiner.

GMEN92 was the buyer of the helmet. The helmet was sold by Steiner and came with 4 Steiner COA's. I do not see how him buying it from a friend would be much different than buying direct from Steiner as it came with the 4 COA's that where all issued by Steiner.

Seems like you are casting doubt and trying to pad the fact that Steiner "potentially" has been caught red handed selling fake Eli Manning items.

A former Steiner Sports employee said that staffers of the memorabilia seller suspected that not all of the “game-used” gear was real. “Specifically, from Eli we would see it and say, ‘Come on, this is not ‘game used,’ ” the source said.


Then you have the emails. Those to me are the "smoking gun".

[PAC]

I could see giving Steiner the benefit of the doubt, if they wanted to claim ignorance based on receiving items from an equipment manager who pulled the wool over their eyes. Apologies, refunds, and destroy the items to prevent future fraud. Oh, if only it was that easy.

But how do they explain RESELLING items that were returned, after the original customers informed them the items were not authentic and provided them with proof to back it up?

You know what they say, Steiner. Fool us twice...

[xsentrixsupra]

The statement from Steiner is pretty much what you'd expect. Not really giving any facts and skirting around the issues. Pretty much what we expect to hear from a prepared statement these days.

[pungent]

I wonder how much of his items does Brandon even go through or has knowledge about? If I purchased a game used Yankees baseball from an obscure game and he signs off on the LOA, shouldn't he be responsible for any questions I have about it?

[trueblue35]

I keep reading that Steiner Re-sold Items?? Does anyone have proof of this?
or is the only person claiming this a former employee?

[jbean023]

I have proof of them reselling a Cubs jersey that I told them wasn't wore in the game stated, mlb authentication was also wrong. Refunded my money, response was they don't have the time or assets to go over every jersey from every team they basically have to take the teams word. I had two cowboys jerseys that were authenticated to the wrong games, the cowboys had misinformed them I provided evidence and jerseys were sent from back to Steiner then to the cowboys for re authentication and then back to me.

[Phil316]

Some of Manning’s alleged fakes were sold through famed memorabilia house Steiner Sports, with whom he had an exclusive deal.

Steiner, believing its items to be authentic, sold them “to unwitting customers and sent them viathemail,” the suit says.

Angry buyers started to complain after noticing that markings on their items didn’t match those that appeared in pictures of Manning’s game-day duds.

But Manning told Steiner they were legit,and Steiner resold returned helmets to other buyers, the suit claims."

[5toolplayer]

I will not be buying items from them in the future, PERIOD

[pungent]

Besides this, what other controversey if any has Steiner been involved with pertaining to game used items? Wasn't there also some talk awhile back here that they sold blank Yankees game jerseys and someone was selling them on Ebay as customized big name players?

[trueblue35]

I just wondering if any of these people that returned items ( Eli Game used)
have come forward. Also who has bought a resold helmet? Its alot of info to follow but the guys helmet who was on TV didn't he buy it from a friend? He should have the friend contact Steiner.

[Phil316]

I have proof of them reselling a Cubs jersey that I told them wasn't wore in the game stated, mlb authentication was also wrong. Refunded my money, response was they don't have the time or assets to go over every jersey from every team they basically have to take the teams word. I had two cowboys jerseys that were authenticated to the wrong games, the cowboys had misinformed them I provided evidence and jerseys were sent from back to Steiner then to the cowboys for re authentication and then back to me.

Same thing happened with me regarding Cowboys jerseys. They where auctioned as game used in my case but showed no signs of wear. This was a few years ago. I paid so little for them but that was not the point. They stuck game used stickers on them. I called them and argued my case.

I understand it is a big company but should that prevent them from doing research on items? Your reputation is everything in this business.

If a item is returned it is usually returned for a reason. Listen to the consumer and don't turn a blind eye.

[pungent]

Do you think Steiner will terminate its contract with Eli for him tarnishing their reputation?

[Phil316]

Besides this, what other controversey if any has Steiner been involved with pertaining to game used items? Wasn't there also some talk awhile back here that they sold blank Yankees game jerseys and someone was selling them on Ebay as customized big name players?

There was a bunch of Steiner COA's signed by Jeter and Ortiz being sold stand alone on eBay. I know Steiner was made aware of it because I emailed them. They never responded and I do not think anything was done about it.

[pungent]

There was a bunch of Steiner COA's signed by Jeter and Ortiz being sold stand alone on eBay. I know Steiner was made aware of it because I emailed them. They never responded and I do not think anything was done about it.

I once heard that the players don't sign the letters at the same time they give them their game used items. Is that true?

[Phil316]

Do you think Steiner will terminate its contract with Eli for him tarnishing their reputation?

They should. That would be the right thing to do. As you can see from the statement released by Steiner that is not gonna happen at least in my opinion until it plays out.

[Phil316]

I once heard that the players don't sign the letters at the same time they give them their game used items. Is that true?

I do not know. I do know the seller had several for sale.

[pungent]

I do not know. I do know the seller had several for sale.

Are there any official Steiner spokespeople who are also members of this forum that can address some of these issues here to us?

[BCowan]

Hi all have been reading all the posts and wanted to lend some clarity to some of the comments. First and foremost there is absolutely no truth or evidence to support any claim that Steiner Sports accepted returns on questionable Eli Manning game used items and then resold those items. In all of our years with Eli we have never had an item questioned until the recent story and civil suit happened. To date we have not received any game used Eli Manning items returned, let alone a subsequent resale of them. Regarding the former employee who made comments about everyone knowing items were not authentic I can't say what would prompt such a comment because as a Steiner employee for 9 years and the Director of Retail Sales I can tell you I have never been part of or heard any such comments or conversations. The first time anyone here heard such things was in the NY Post. It is very easy to make comments as an anonymous "source" and that seems to be what has happened here. I really can't get into many details as this is an ongoing civil case and it wouldn't be appropriate to comment much further but those particular statements that are making the rounds needed to be cleared up and responded to.

GMEN regarding your particular issue we would be more than happy to discuss with you, please feel free to contact me and I will connect you with Brandon.

GINGI regarding your comments about the history of Steiner Sports the company was indeed founded in 1987 as Steiner Associates which over the years has grown into Steiner Sports. I'll spare all the history of our company but would love to send you a signed copy of Brandon's book "You Gotta Have Balls" which explains all this in detail, hope that helps in the understanding of where the 1987 number comes from.

Thank you all for reading, wish I could say more but if there are any questions, concerns, comments feel free to reach out to me.

Brooks Cowan
Steiner Sports

[BrianK]

I'm pleased to see a post from Brooks. It's good that someone in the company is trying to reassure customers. The prepared statement from Brandon did nothing in this regard. The statement reads like it was crafted with the sole purpose of reassuring athletes and teams that Steiner will stand by them at any cost. Customers are not the priority.

[Phil316]

We shall see how this plays out.

[pungent]

I'm pleased to see a post from Brooks. It's good that someone in the company is trying to reassure customers. The prepared statement from Brandon did nothing in this regard. The statement reads like it was crafted with the sole purpose of reassuring athletes and teams that Steiner will stand by them at any cost. Customers are not the priority.

Doesn't Brooks have a history on here with the forums, or has that been resolved?

[BCowan]

Pungent I'm pretty sure that was resolved well over 5 years or however long ago it was and we have all moved on from it but I appreciate the response and your concerns. A member of the forum asked for a Steiner representative to respond to these accusations and that's all I was looking to do. If my response or involvement on the forum is an issue I will refrain from commenting any further.

If anyone would like to discuss any questions or concerns regarding this matter please feel free to contact me directly.

[Steeleraddict]

But the emails weren't anonymous. Very revealing and transparent in my opinion. And is def a smoking gun if you guys have read them. Hard to refute and would be interested in a response.

[pungent]

Pungent I'm pretty sure that was resolved well over 5 years or however long ago it was and we have all moved on from it but I appreciate the response and your concerns. A member of the forum asked for a Steiner representative to respond to these accusations and that's all I was looking to do. If my response or involvement on the forum is an issue I will refrain from commenting any further.

If anyone would like to discuss any questions or concerns regarding this matter please feel free to contact me directly.

Brooks, please ask Brandon to create an account here and address some of these issues. It is not uncommon for the CEO's memorabilia companies to post here, such as Barry from MeiGray, Ken Goldin, I think even Jarrod from JO also posted when there were questions or concerns. Considering a number of members here have spent a good deal of money to allow Brandon to be where he is today, the best person to get reassurance from your company is him.

[ivo610]

These previous issues with poster from Steiner, are they in any way related to authenticity of an item? If so I would like to hear more about this issue if he is part of their management and their spokesperson for this issue.

[BCowan]

IVO the previous issues as earlier referenced had nothing to do with authenticity of an item. The issues from 2006 that I was posting on the forum and not clearly representing myself as a Steiner employee at the time. This to my knowledge is a closed issue and something that occurred years ago. If my involvement in this thread is a concern to anyone I will gladly stop at this time. I don't want this thread going off topic because of me. I was simply engaging in this discussion as a forum member who I believe is in good standing and doing so because of a request from a fellow forum member. I am not an official spokesperson for Steiner Sports on this issue, the only official spokesperson for this matter is Brandon Steiner. Again I was just jumping in as a forum member and to clear up the major accusations that were circulating regarding Steiner Sports taking returns and reselling items and knowingly selling fraudulent items, neither of which is accurate.

[Phil316]

Brooks,

If a buyer returns an item questioning authenticity what happens to that item when returned to Steiner?

[pungent]

I am not an official spokesperson for Steiner Sports on this issue, the only official spokesperson for this matter is Brandon Steiner.

Brooks, will Brandon be coming here to address and interact with the community? As you mentioned, he is the official spokesperson for your brand and the members here would be very interested in hearing what he has to say in clarifying these issues.

[ChrisCavalier]

IVO the previous issues as earlier referenced had nothing to do with authenticity of an item. The issues from 2006 that I was posting on the forum and not clearly representing myself as a Steiner employee at the time. This to my knowledge is a closed issue and something that occurred years ago. If my involvement in this thread is a concern to anyone I will gladly stop at this time. I don't want this thread going off topic because of me. I was simply engaging in this discussion as a forum member who I believe is in good standing and doing so because of a request from a fellow forum member. I am not an official spokesperson for Steiner Sports on this issue, the only official spokesperson for this matter is Brandon Steiner. Again I was just jumping in as a forum member and to clear up the major accusations that were circulating regarding Steiner Sports taking returns and reselling items and knowingly selling fraudulent items, neither of which is accurate.
Brooks is correct. That matter has been resolved.

-Chris

[sportsnbikes]

There was a bunch of Steiner COA's signed by Jeter and Ortiz being sold stand alone on eBay. I know Steiner was made aware of it because I emailed them. They never responded and I do not think anything was done about it.

I e-mailed them also. No response here either.

[commando]

I am not a Steiner apologist, and I don't even own anything of much value from the company. But it makes no sense for a multi-million dollar organization to jeopardize their reputation by knowingly selling a few questionable $300 jerseys (or a $5,000 helmet, for that matter). They are heavily dependent on the information given to them by the teams and players when they purchase their inventory. In a perfect world, Steiner would employ people who sit around all day and photo match equipment... But is that realistic, especially when a shipment of two to three hundred jerseys arrives directly from the team?

Several here have pointed out some of the mistakes made by MLB authenticators, even though that program was designed to be error-proof as humanly possible (with "human" being the key word here). Mistakes do happen, and can you imagine Steiner getting a random email from someone claiming the jersey they bought isn't what the Yankees or Giants said it was? What the heck are they supposed to do? They can refund the money, which the seem to gladly do, but now what? The team says one thing, the collector says another, and Steiner is stuck in the middle somewhere.

Several great points have been brought up here, but my advice is to be careful before you accuse anyone of knowingly selling a bogus item. If you want to have more interaction with company owners/reps here in the forum, you've got to cut them some slack and give them time to figure out what the problems are, how they happened and how to fix them.

[swainer]

+1 Commando. I know it sucks for those with the items in question but this needs to play out first. Glad to see you back posting by the way!!!

Peace!

John

[carbonrosa]

I once heard that the players don't sign the letters at the same time they give them their game used items. Is that true?

This was true with the Mariano Rivera Charity Auction. I won the Robinson Cano 2013 Game used glove in mid December but didn't receive the Mariano Rivera signed COA stating he received the glove from Cano for his charity until the first week in February. Unfortunately the COA they sent had the wrong date with "Game Used 2012". I called Steiner this week and was told to mail the letter back which then they would mail me a new COA. Just not sure how long this would take since Rivera would have to resign a new one....Frustrating

[allstarsplus]

+1 Commando. I know it sucks for those with the items in question but this needs to play out first. Glad to see you back posting by the way!!!

Peace!

John

Well said. There's not enough there right now to point fingers at Steiner, and sometimes things aren't what they appear.

This could be nothing more than guilt by association and not sure if there is guilt until the legal proceedings play out and keep in mind that Steiner isn't even named in the lawsuit.

What I think has been exposed if even nothing comes of the civil lawsuit is that the authentication system in the stadium clubhouses are lacking as the reliance in this case is on the clubhouse manager, the athlete, and the trickle up to the team and the dealers that handle the product could be flawed.

I'm a big advocate of a better authentication system. To me, buying items that lack independent initial authentication can be tainted and that's what this whole lawsuit brings to the surface.

[jbean023]

I have proof of Steiner reselling a Cubs jersey that was authenticated incorrectly and I told them about it and showed them proof of everything I could find. It's a minor player but still the principle. I still buy from Steiner but do my homework. You need to do your homework in every aspect, shouldn't have to but it's the new day and age. Every auction house has listed a questionable jersey, just depends on how they resolve the issue. Just like collectors don't buy Lou Lampson items anymore, do your homework and you're okay. He didn't get to where he was by authenticating fakes his whole career, had to sell some good ones to get to where he was.

[BVC]

I have proof of Steiner reselling a Cubs jersey that was authenticated incorrectly and I told them about it and showed them proof of everything I could find. It's a minor player but still the principle. I still buy from Steiner but do my homework. You need to do your homework in every aspect, shouldn't have to but it's the new day and age. Every auction house has listed a questionable jersey, just depends on how they resolve the issue. Just like collectors don't buy Lou Lampson items anymore, do your homework and you're okay. He didn't get to where he was by authenticating fakes his whole career, had to sell some good ones to get to where he was.

This is only my 2nd post, but I joined this forum specifically to discuss issues I'm seeing with game-used memorabilia, so I might as well jump in at this point. I don't buy much modern game-used stuff, but I quickly discovered that the trail from the football field to my hands was littered with opportunities for mistakes.

An item goes from the player [to the equipment manager] [to 'NFL Auction' or the specific team's auction] to the final seller (auction house, Steiner, etc). Sometimes PSA/DNA enters the mix. I believe that the final buyer has the right to know what the authentication was at each step, and who did it. Until that happens, it's only safe to purchase photo-matched items.

It would be easy enough for sellers to explain this to us, but the information is sometimes out there if we do our homework, as you suggest. Example: PSA/DNA 'authenticated' game-used NFL footballs for the SuperBowl. They accomplished this by marking the balls BEFORE the game started: 120, including the special 'K-balls'. Does PSA/DNA authenticate these footballs AGAIN, after the game? or do they just take the word of the equipment manager? When these footballs get sold, will the COA's and seller descriptions say 'game-used', or 'prepared for game use'? I've personally never seen any balls sold as 'prepared for game use'.

[BU54CB]

I am not a Steiner apologist, and I don't even own anything of much value from the company. But it makes no sense for a multi-million dollar organization to jeopardize their reputation by knowingly selling a few questionable $300 jerseys (or a $5,000 helmet, for that matter). They are heavily dependent on the information given to them by the teams and players when they purchase their inventory. In a perfect world, Steiner would employ people who sit around all day and photo match equipment... But is that realistic, especially when a shipment of two to three hundred jerseys arrives directly from the team?

Several here have pointed out some of the mistakes made by MLB authenticators, even though that program was designed to be error-proof as humanly possible (with "human" being the key word here). Mistakes do happen, and can you imagine Steiner getting a random email from someone claiming the jersey they bought isn't what the Yankees or Giants said it was? What the heck are they supposed to do? They can refund the money, which the seem to gladly do, but now what? The team says one thing, the collector says another, and Steiner is stuck in the middle somewhere.

Several great points have been brought up here, but my advice is to be careful before you accuse anyone of knowingly selling a bogus item. If you want to have more interaction with company owners/reps here in the forum, you've got to cut them some slack and give them time to figure out what the problems are, how they happened and how to fix them.

I agree with most of what you said, except that many multi million and billion dollar companies and organizations jeopardize their reputations to make money.

Just because a company is large and has nothing to gain from tarnishing their reputation to make money, doesn't mean they won't.

[sportsnbikes]

I'd like to see B Cowen respond about the Steiner authentication letters being sold without the item.

How did the letters get out of the front door?

Has it been investigated by intra company employees?

[Roady]

If my involvement in this thread is a concern to anyone I will gladly stop at this time. I don't want this thread going off topic because of me. I was simply engaging in this discussion as a forum member who I believe is in good standing and doing so because of a request from a fellow forum member. I am not an official spokesperson for Steiner Sports on this issue, the only official spokesperson for this matter is Brandon Steiner. Again I was just jumping in as a forum member and to clear up the major accusations that were circulating regarding Steiner Sports taking returns and reselling items and knowingly selling fraudulent items, neither of which is accurate.

This is the 2nd time you have reminded us that you are not an official spokesman for Steiner and that you will stop posting if your involvement in it is an issue.

You post answers and make claims about Steiner but keep reminding us that we should not put any faith in your post.

Why are you posting answers for Steiner if your answers are not to be taken as official statements from Steiner? That would be like me posting as a spokesman for a company without being asked to do so by said company but reminding everyone that I am not the official spokesperson.
This makes no sense at all.

[Phil316]

What bothers me is we have member(s) stating they returned items to Steiner for different reasons only to see the items being resold with the same description.

I have emailed Steiner 2 times regarding my question.

"If a buyer returns an item questioning authenticity what happens to that item when returned to Steiner?"

I still have not received an answer or an acknowledgment of getting my email's.

Very frustrating.

I have a feeling this thread is going to get locked very soon. I just hope that in the end it is an eye opener for companies. Do not always take a player or teams word on what you are given. I think most collectors would pay the extra to have a photomatch or even include a 8X10 of that match with the item. This has been proven over and over again. Look at Goldin Auctions they take the time to do the photomatches the best they can considering the limited time they have to set up their auctions.

Also for the companies regardless what your business income is. Hire some knowledgeable employees to do the photomatching. Modern day jerseys are not that hard to match especially with the access these companies have to press photos (like getty images ect). Spend the extra few minutes to do things properly instead of trying to sell 300 jerseys at one time. You will not only build a reputation but in the end you know the product you sell is 100.

A company to learn this from that comes to mind is MeiGray. They have a great system set up. Sure you pay a little more but you know what you are getting is top quality. No frills no gimmicks just great product.

This is gonna be my last post in this thread. I am not a game used guru or anything like that. I am a consumer wanting to know the items I buy are legit.

[10thMan]

I don't really care what Steiner "says" There is scandal in EVERY industry. I've never been a "hype" typa guy, I'm from San Diego, not the east coast. The more someone hypes something up, the less I'm interested. I've never been impressed with Steiner. The best game used Items I've ever got, I still have, mostly Gwynn stuff. I've shown him plenty of stuff & I always get an honest opinion. We ALL know that a good percentage of game used is junk.

[3arod13]

I'd like to see B Cowen respond about the Steiner authentication letters being sold without the item.

How did the letters get out of the front door?

Has it been investigated by intra company employees?

As with many others, I've sent numerous emails to Steiner about this, and never received a response. Sent more than 10 emails over a two month period. When you don't respond or try to stop something like this from happening, it doesn't look good.

[pungent]

If you post anything negative about the Eli controversey on their Facebook page, they will delete it and ban you from posting on their wall.

[allstarsplus]

What bothers me is we have member(s) stating they returned items to Steiner for different reasons only to see the items being resold with the same description.



Has anyone given us the full details of what they purchased and returned to Steiner and the issues they have along with any proof that the exact item was returned and relisted for sale?

This to me is more disturbing if it can be backed up with facts.

[BCowan]

This is the 2nd time you have reminded us that you are not an official spokesman for Steiner and that you will stop posting if your involvement in it is an issue.

You post answers and make claims about Steiner but keep reminding us that we should not put any faith in your post.

Why are you posting answers for Steiner if your answers are not to be taken as official statements from Steiner? That would be like me posting as a spokesman for a company without being asked to do so by said company but reminding everyone that I am not the official spokesperson.
This makes no sense at all.

Roady nowhere in any of my posts have I said anything even remotely close to "we should not put any faith in your post". I actually thought my posts were the complete opposite of that as I am posting as someone who can speak with actual facts on this particular thread. Some forum members have commented that Steiner Sports has accepted returns of Eli Manning Game Used items and resold those items, these are statements being made with absolutely no facts and are based simply off of what they've read in the paper. My posts on this issue are as a forum member who knows these statements to be completely baseless and inaccurate, that's why I commented on them. As far as mentioning one time that it was not an official statement, I did that because it is not an official statement. I am participating as a member of the forum and did not wish for my posts to be taken as something from Steiner Sports as only Brandon will be commenting officially on behalf of the company. I had to preface my statements as such because I don't have any interest in seeing my statements in the paper. At the same time I have an obligation to the forum to properly represent myself as a Steiner employee.

I am participating in this thread as a member who has information and knowledge on the thread, I was under the impression that was the purpose of this forum, for members to share information. I am not here to speculate or make statements without facts to support which is why I have really only commented on this thread and the issues that I am certain of relating to it. I don't want to speculate or guess on anything. I'm here to participate in the discussion as all of you are. I will not comment on anything I don't have facts to support. I will also do my best to stay on topic of the particular thread. Also some have asked for Steiner reps to comment and to my knowledge I'm the only Steiner rep who is an active member of the forum so felt if I didn't respond you wouldn't get any response as requested.

Some forum members have asked about the signed LOA's that have been on ebay, on that matter I can say yes Steiner Sports is aware of them and we have made several attempts to have them removed. As you can see we have had no success there. I personally do not know how they got there and we are looking into. To say anything more would be speculation and that I won't do as it serves no purpose. For any members who would like to discuss that with me feel free to e-mail me at bcowan@steinersports.com or call me at 914-307-1004. I sincerely apologize for those of you who have sent e-mails to Steiner Sports and gotten no response. I am always available to discuss any questions or concerns you may have on this or anything for that matter.

I'm not going to get much more into detail on that issue though as it does not relate to this thread. As I've mentioned I don't want to ever speculate or say anything without having facts to support.

[pungent]

Whenever I watch this video, I think how cool it must be to work for Steiner.

https://v.cdn.vine.co/r/videos/89F31C0A-BEF0-4AF5-B104-353854FACCCB-21190-0000075A936DB150_1b7c5738358.1.3.mp4?versionId=uqk e4MWJb6ttkGGqB3NdaFNfpEVv0G.e


Brooks, have you spoken with Brandon and will he be addressing the community here at game used?

[allstarsplus]

Some forum members have commented that Steiner Sports has accepted returns of Eli Manning Game Used items and resold those items, these are statements being made with absolutely no facts and are based simply off of what they've read in the paper. My posts on this issue are as a forum member who knows these statements to be completely baseless and inaccurate, that's why I commented on them.

First off I think its great that you are posting here as in the very least to be a voice of reason.

And your points are valid and that's why people shouldn't jump to conclusions as it isn't fair to the reputation of this company until all the facts are put out there.

As I've previously posted, "disturbing if it can be backed up with facts" and so far I've seen nobody back up with facts the accusation that a "fake" or incorrect item was returned and relisted for sale in the exact way it was first sold.

[Roady]

Roady nowhere in any of my posts have I said anything even remotely close to "we should not put any faith in your post". I actually thought my posts were the complete opposite of that as I am posting as someone who can speak with actual facts on this particular thread.

If are not an official spokesperson for Steiner then how can your "facts" or your postings help?
Just asking.

[BCowan]

If are not an official spokesperson for Steiner then how can your "facts" or your postings help?
Just asking.

Roady I guess in this particular instance for you personally they can not help. For others on the forum perhaps my "facts" as you refer to them and postings lend some clarity simply because I am a forum member who has an area of expertise on the topic being discussed. Are we now discrediting anyone who posts unless they are doing so as an official spokesperson? What does that do to all the other posts on this thread? I don't believe any of the statements of Steiner Sports reselling Eli Manning items that were returned were made as official statements, yet they continue to be falsely made.

I'm participating in this discussion the same as you and all others. At this point though I'm beginning to become confused by what we're even discussing.

[BCowan]

First off I think its great that you are posting here as in the very least to be a voice of reason.

And your points are valid and that's why people shouldn't jump to conclusions as it isn't fair to the reputation of this company until all the facts are put out there.

As I've previously posted, "disturbing if it can be backed up with facts" and so far I've seen nobody back up with facts the accusation that a "fake" or incorrect item was returned and relisted for sale in the exact way it was first sold.

Thank you AllStars, appreciate that.

[Roady]

Roady I guess in this particular instance for you personally they can not help. For others on the forum perhaps my "facts" as you refer to them and postings lend some clarity simply because I am a forum member who has an area of expertise on the topic being discussed. Are we now discrediting anyone who posts unless they are doing so as an official spokesperson? What does that do to all the other posts on this thread? I don't believe any of the statements of Steiner Sports reselling Eli Manning items that were returned were made as official statements, yet they continue to be falsely made.

I'm participating in this discussion the same as you and all others. At this point though I'm beginning to become confused by what we're even discussing.

Your first post in this thread.........
"Hi all have been reading all the posts and wanted to lend some clarity to some of the comments. First and foremost there is absolutely no truth or evidence to support any claim that Steiner Sports accepted returns on questionable Eli Manning game used items and then resold those items. In all of our years with Eli we have never had an item questioned until the recent story and civil suit happened. To date we have not received any game used Eli Manning items returned, let alone a subsequent resale of them. Regarding the former employee who made comments about everyone knowing items were not authentic I can't say what would prompt such a comment because as a Steiner employee for 9 years and the Director of Retail Sales I can tell you I have never been part of or heard any such comments or conversations. The first time anyone here heard such things was in the NY Post. It is very easy to make comments as an anonymous "source" and that seems to be what has happened here. I really can't get into many details as this is an ongoing civil case and it wouldn't be appropriate to comment much further but those particular statements that are making the rounds needed to be cleared up and responded to. "

Maybe I am confused. Who knows.
The above from you reads like you are stating it as fact not opinion.
Please carry on and I will not ask you any more questions.

[Roady]

I don't want to be the scapegoat for getting this thread locked so I am bowing out of it.
I will not post in it again.

Didn't mean to start a pissing match but I just asked a question.

[sportsnbikes]

Some forum members have asked about the signed LOA's that have been on ebay, on that matter I can say yes Steiner Sports is aware of them and we have made several attempts to have them removed. As you can see we have had no success there. I personally do not know how they got there and we are looking into. To say anything more would be speculation and that I won't do as it serves no purpose. For any members who would like to discuss that with me feel free to e-mail me at bcowan@steinersports.com or call me at 914-307-1004. I sincerely apologize for those of you who have sent e-mails to Steiner Sports and gotten no response. I am always available to discuss any questions or concerns you may have on this or anything for that matter.

I'm not going to get much more into detail on that issue though as it does not relate to this thread. As I've mentioned I don't want to ever speculate or say anything without having facts to support.

Thanks fore responding on the LOA issue. For myself, foremost I wanted to be sure someone was aware and really only wanted an acknowledgment. When one isn't give, then it looks fishy.

Thank you again for responding. Hopefully someone is held accountable.

[pungent]

Not sure why Brooks is evading my question about Brandon, but it's probably safe to say he's not coming here to address our concerns. Give your book the title "You gotta have balls" but don't have any to come here to speak to us. Even if the allegations turn out false, who would want to support a company led by someone with such character?

[BCowan]

Not sure why Brooks is evading my question about Brandon, but it's probably safe to say he's not coming here to address our concerns. Give your book the title "You gotta have balls" but don't have any to come here to speak to us. Even if the allegations turn out false, who would want to support a company led by someone with such character?

I'm not evading anything, I just don't want to comment on every response this thread generates. As I've said previously I don't like to speculate or say things for no reason. If I comment just to comment I'm not lending anything of any purpose or insight to the discussion and see no purpose in doing that. I prefer that any of my involvement here be consistent with the purpose of the forum which I believe is for collectors to discuss and educate.

If you would like to engage Brandon in a conversation feel free to reach out to him, he is extremely accessible and always willing to help our customers.

[BCowan]

Thanks fore responding on the LOA issue. For myself, foremost I wanted to be sure someone was aware and really only wanted an acknowledgment. When one isn't give, then it looks fishy.

Thank you again for responding. Hopefully someone is held accountable.

Yes absolutely aware and we appreciate members of the forum being so engaged in the discussion. Like I said earlier not sure who the e-mails were sent to or why no response was given and I'd be happy to help anytime just e-mail me direct.

[sportsnbikes]

Yes absolutely aware and we appreciate members of the forum being so engaged in the discussion. Like I said earlier not sure who the e-mails were sent to or why no response was given and I'd be happy to help anytime just e-mail me direct.

I bet I can find who I sent mine to.

[VerifiedAutographsCom]

Any new info here?

[gingi79]

I too was wondering if anything came of this. It was all kinds of hot news Super Bowl week here in NY and on the worldwide leader and then Peyton loses and *Poof the coverage disappears.

Our hobby gets enough warranted and valid scrutiny from the JO related issues, Operation Bullpen, hell a known dealer was arrested at the National. If Steiner had something to do with it, we should know. If they were drug though the mud wrongly by a bitter ex-employee, we should know. If Eli did or didn't do this on purpose with or without Giants equipment managers assistance, we should know.

Someone, anyone, poke the bear until he becomes a dead horse.

[Phil316]

This is the most recent article including Manning's documents regarding the accusations. He denies everything obviously.

http://t.radaronline.com/entry/view/id/101497?utm_referrer=https:%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F

[Phil316]

I should say the most recent I could find. This is from a April 7th