Retired New York Giants defensive end and Pro Football Hall of Famer, Michael Strahan, says the Super Bowl XLII jersey being sold by Goldin Auctions isn’t his and he’s got proof.
After being made aware that Goldin Auctions was allegedly selling his Super Bowl jersey, Strahan appeared on Pardon My Take and stated emphatically that the actual jersey is framed and hanging on the wall of his personal gym.
Strahan specifically detailed stuffing everything from that game — with the exception of his shoulder pads — into a duffel bag and handing it to a close personal friend. He later retrieved it all from said friend in New Jersey.
“I take it out [of] the bag,” Strahan recalled of his retrieval, “and the whole thing is wet, still soaking wet and nasty. . . . The thing still has stains on it from dirt, from Gatorade and the stench if you were to take it out of the frame.”
Strahan acknowledged that the team did have back-up jerseys, but that his game-worn jersey only left his sight briefly, and was in the hands of someone he trusts during that time.
Of course, we’ve seen in the not too distant past that things get hectic following a Super Bowl and that even Tom Brady himself could be conned.
The Giants were accused of faking game-used memorabilia back in 2017, and several lawsuits were filed, leading to the termination of three members of their equipment staff, including Ed and Joe Skiba.
It’s improbable but not impossible that Strahan’s jersey somehow got switched and he’s in possession of a fake. It’s also possible that Goldin Auctions is in possession of a very detailed fake — one so good that is accurately matches the real version right down to the Gatorade stains.
