Former Alabama CB Marquis Johnson denies taking money for autographs
By Cody McClure
Published:
On Monday, former Alabama cornerback Marquis Johnson (2006-2009) was accused in a Sports Illustrated report of taking money for autographs in 2009.
The report, which also accused former Crimson Tide nose guard Terrence Cody, alleged that Johnson helped recruit other Alabama players to sign items for a pair of memorabilia dealers. He allegedly accepted $200 for the items.
But Johnson is denying that this happened, according to a Monday report from AL.com.
“First and foremost,” he said, “I didn’t take any money, man.”
Johnson also reportedly shared with AL.com a screenshot of a text message with one of the two memorabilia dealers. The response from Adam Bollinger, one of the dealers, noted that Johnson never accepted any money.
Johnson reportedly said he remembers people offering him money during his time at Alabama, but he never took it.
“I would never risk my career with Alabama,” he said. “I was about to get drafted man. I’m good. I was having the best year of my life. I would never jeopardize my family or my situation. That’s just not even me.
“Everybody on the team would tell you I was the probably last person on the team to do that,” Johnson added. “I was just so focused my senior year because I felt like I was on my own my senior year and I had to get it. I wasn’t spending extra time recruiting. I was studying.”
Cody McClure is an SEC Football Writer for Saturday Down South. He lives in Knoxville, Tennessee, where he also co-hosts a midday sports radio show for FOX Sports. Cody previously worked for Athlon Sports.
