Earlier this week, Bleacher Report’s Jared Zwerling reported that adidas was prepared to offer top prospect Andrew Wiggins a sneaker deal worth up to $180 million over 10 years, an extraordinary dollar figure. Zwerling cited multiple anonymous sources in that report.
Andrew Wiggins’s $180 million adidas contract rumor may stem from hoax letter
A report this week suggested Andrew Wiggins may get up to $180 million from adidas for a 10-year endorsement deal once he leaves Lawrence. But that number may have come from a hoax letter.
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
On Thursday, Sole Collector’s Nick DePaula reported that the $180 million figure may stem from a purported letter from adidas group CEO Herbert Hainer to Wiggins’s camp that has been making the rounds. It turns out that the letter in question -- viewable at Sole Collector -- is a fake.
An adidas spokesman issued this response to SB Nation when asked about the issue:
“There is a fraudulent letter that claims to be from our company offering Mr. Wiggins a contract. Any reasonable review of the letter would determine its lack of credibility. Beyond this, we do not comment on rumors or speculation about potential partnerships.”
Zwerling has responded to DePaula’s report on Twitter.
I saw the Wiggins hoax memo and in response: My independent sources stand by their comments and had heard of no memo before talking to me.
— Jared Zwerling (@JaredZwerling) October 18, 2013
It’s unclear whether those sources heard a number that had originally come from the hoax letter (even if they weren’t aware of the letter).
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