Background check firm gives wrong Shelton info
CRIMINAL RECORD CITED INCORRECTLY FOR U OF L RB
HERALD-LEADER WIRE SERVICES
In a case of mistaken identity, more than half of the NFL's teams received false
information about Louisville running back Eric Shelton, who is expected to be a
high draft pick, a report said yesterday.
InfoMart, a company in Marietta, Ga., used by some NFL teams to conduct
background checks on potential draft picks, confused Shelton, a 6-foot-3,
248-pound junior from Lexington, whose agent describes him as "an angel," with a
different Eric Shelton, who possesses a criminal record,-ESPN.com reported.
The erroneous background check incorrectly informed about 18 teams that
Louisville's Shelton was arrested and convicted in 1999 for aggravated assault,
and that he was charged with marijuana possession in 2001.
Shelton's agent, Peter Schaffer, said that Shelton had never been arrested.
Schaffer knew something was wrong when teams began calling, asking why he had
not been forthcoming about Shelton's past.
Shelton is expected to be drafted in the second or third round April 23.
"I had been telling people that this guy was an angel, and suddenly teams are
calling me, asking me about an assault charge," Schaffer said yesterday. "Eric
is the last client of mine who would be involved in anything like that. When
teams started calling, I knew something was wrong."
Schaffer said that he immediately informed InfoMart about the mistake, and
insisted that they send a retraction to all NFL teams. A representative from
InfoMart refused to discuss the matter in detail.
Schaffer said he believes the error was caught before it damaged Shelton's stock
in the draft.
Around the league
Jaguars: Marcus Stroud signed a five-year, $31.5 million contract extension with
Jacksonville, becoming one of the highest-paid defensive tackles in the NFL.
Eagles: Terrell Owens wants a new contract from Philadelphia before he starts
his second season with the team.
Owens, who helped lead the Eagles to the Super Bowl in his first season in
Philadelphia, is looking to renegotiate the seven-year deal worth almost $49
million he signed last March.
"This is not about me being greedy or selfish," Owens said. "Just take a moment
and look at my stature in the game."
Owens recently fired agent David Joseph and hired Drew Rosenhaus. Last year,
Joseph failed to file papers that would have made Owens a free agent from San
Francisco. Instead, Owens protested a trade from the 49ers to Baltimore, and
eventually the three teams agreed to a trade.
"Everyone knows my former agent settled for a low-ball number because of my
situation last season," Owens said. "They used their leverage to strong-arm us
because they knew I wanted to leave Baltimore for Philadelphia, and they
capitalized on it. I can't go for that now. It's not in me to do that."
Giants: The team reached an agreement with the state of New Jersey to build a
new $750 million, 80,000-seat stadium near the current one in East Rutherford,
N.J. It is slated to open for the 2008 season.
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