Diontae Johnson of the Steelers is being sued after failing to show up to a kids football camp he had agreed to host, according to a federal lawsuit obtained by Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
On August 4, Johnson signed a two-year, $36.71 million contract, putting an end to his sit-in at the Pittsburgh Steelers training facility. Following a breakout season in which Johnson hauled in 107 passes for 1,161 yards and eight scores, that happened.
Steelers WR Diontae Johnson Facing Lawsuit For Skipping Youth Football Camp
On May 22, the camp was held. According to the organization, 230 campers aged 6 to 16 paid a starting fee of $125 each for tickets to the event, with hundreds more spending money in the weeks leading up to the event. The business alleges that just in refunds, it lost more than $36,000.
Who Is Diontae?
Diontae Lamarcus Johnson, a wide receiver with the National Football League’s Pittsburgh Steelers, was born on July 5, 1996. (NFL). In the third phase of the 2019 NFL Draft, the Steelers selected him out of Toledo’s collegiate football program.
The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Johnson 66th overall in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft. They originally acquired the selection in a trade that had also sent Antonio Brown to the Oakland Raiders.
A sports management business based in Connecticut has filed a federal case against Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson, alleging that Johnson breached a contract by skipping a youth football camp in May.
His no-show, according to Flexwork Sports Management, lost them a large amount in refunds, credits, and reputation damage.
The Assertions Made
The lawsuit claims that Johnson and FlexWork Sports Management inked a contract in November 2021 for Johnson to host the “FlexWork Sports Youth Camp hosted by Diontae Johnson” in Pittsburgh for young football players.
The Backstory
The $125 admission price to the camp covered a photo with Johnson as well. More expensive packages with varying “levels of interaction” with Johnson were also available.
According to the Post-Gazette, FlexWork claims to have repaid $36,099.33 in registration fees altogether. Additionally, the business claims to have given people impacted by Johnson’s absence credits in the same amount.
13 minutes prior to the camp’s scheduled start time, Johnson’s reps allegedly informed the business of his absence. The wide receiver’s flight from Florida was canceled, the business alleges, and Johnson was “shortly thereafter rebooked on another flight, but Johnson did not want to wait for his new flight time so he departed the airport.”
The case has no scheduled hearings. Reporters in Pittsburgh have contacted Johnson’s reps and the lawyer for FlexWork Sports Management, but haven’t received a response yet.
Recently Johnson wrote “always two sides to a story” in a tweet on Wednesday. As of now, this is the only statement from his end in the reports.
The lawsuit references a personal service agreement between Johnson and FlexWork, which states that if Johnson cancels after April 5, he is responsible for paying all fees collected by FlexWork, plus a $2,250 cancellation fee.
According to reports, over $10,000 has been spent on things like photographer and videographer fees, rental vehicles, flights, hotels, food and drink, and employee wages.
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