Michael Jordan probably isn’t used to getting rejected, but that’s apparently what happened when he tried to sign Cardinals rookie receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. to the Jordan Brand.
Jordan, an NBA legend who was in attendance during Saturday’s Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony, said as much during a short conversation with Marvin Harrison Jr.’s dad, Hall of Fame wide receiver and former Colts great Marvin Harrison.
“Good luck on your son, man!” Jordan said to the elder Harrison. “I’ve been trying to sign him with the Jordan Brand, but Nike took him! Man, I loved him!”
Marvin Harrison Jr. has been intent on doing things his way since being drafted by the Cardinals with the fourth overall pick. Even after signing his rookie contract, the NFL, Cardinals and Fanatics are still not permitted to sell his jersey on the wishes on his representatives, according to NFL Network.
The former Ohio State standout also took a unique approach regarding his pre-draft workload. Harrison, at the advice of his father, did not run at Ohio State’s pro day or at the NFL Combine in order to get a head start on preparing for his first NFL season.
That decision has already appeared to pay dividends, given the reviews he’s gotten during his first few months with the Cardinals.
“You look at his height and then you look at his movement ability. Those two things usually don’t match up like that,” Cardinals cornerback Garrett Williams said earlier this summer. “So, for him to do it and make everything look so easily, the ball-tracking ability, he’s everything people said he is.”