Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout Keyshawn Johnson is back in the news again.
TMZ reported that Johnson has sued sports agent Chris Ellison for unpaid finder's fees, after the three-time Pro Bowler filed a civil complaint in Los Angeles seeking almost $1 million in unpaid commissions he should've earned after delivering multiple clients to Ellison.
Johnson said he was to earn a piece of the contracts negotiated with and signed by players he recruited to Ellison. He states further that he's owed one-third of the three percent commission received by Ellison on players he referred.
The 52-year-old former wideout claims he's owed money on contracts from four clients, including San Francisco 49ers corner Deommodore Lenoir, Chicago Bears corner Jaylon Johnson, Atlanta Falcons corner Mike Hughes and Green Bay Packers receiver Romeo Doubs.
The agent, Ellison, says Johnson's claims are false.
Former attorney and Pro Football Talk lead Mike Florio wrote this could potentially get messy for Ellison.
"If the players weren’t aware of Johnson’s stake in their decisions to hire Ellison," Florio wrote. "As one agent certified by the NFL Players Association to negotiate contracts tells PFT, the rules applicable to agents require such arrangements to be disclosed to the client and to the NFLPA."
Johnson played 11 seasons in the NFL, splitting time between the New York Jets, Bucs, and Dallas Cowboys.
Across 167 career games, he posted 814 catches for 10,571 yards and 64 touchdowns.