A man from Baton Rouge was arrested for stealing game-worn LSU football equipment because he refused to name the player who he was selling it online for.
According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Louisiana State University police said in their report Fletcher Sanders, 25, was selling illegally obtained gear on eBay. An employee at Sneaker Politics, Sanders reportedly refused to give the police the player's name in order to walk away uncharged.
Fletcher was apparently selling a pair of cleats and gloves worn during the LSU Tigers' 10-7 upset win over Ole Miss on Oct. 25. The unknown football player would have provided Sanders, who would then sell it on his behalf, with the gear, a blatant NCAA rules violation in addition to being theft.
"Do whatever you have to do," Sanders told police, according to the arrest report. "I'm not going to be responsible for ruining someone's career."
So he was arrested on charges of principal to theft and possession of stolen things, the Times-Picayune reported, and then later released from East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on $3,000 bond.
According to the Advocate, LSU Police spokesman Capt. Cory Lalonde said the sale was most likely not part of a larger operation.
The NCAA strictly forbids student-athletes to make any money from their name, image or likeness in order to protect their amateur status. Georgia running back Todd Gurley was recently found to have accepted cash in exchange for signing several pieces of memorabilia. He served a four-game suspension.
One of the most high-profile cases in recent memory was a pocket of Ohio State football players who the NCAA determined sold memorabilia and equipment for tattoos and cash payments as early as 2008. That resulted in five-game suspensions for five players.
