Betting Firm Targets Giambi
An online gambling site claimed Friday to have offered Jason Giambi an endorsement deal worth up to $3 million annually, a formal proposal it said was made to replace companies once represented by the fallen New York Yankee slugger.
Sportsinteraction.com, which features sports betting, offered to step in for Nike, Pepsi and Arm & Hammer, which recently allowed endorsement contracts to expire after it was reported Giambi had used steroids. A news release from the company stated, “SIA believes the superstar still has huge market value in the sports world.”
Giambi’s agent, Arn Tellem, who was mentioned in the release, said the company had made no formal contact with him.
“It’s absurd and false,” he said. “Totally false and preposterous.”
Tellem would not comment on whether SIA had tried to tacitly align itself with Giambi. A spokesperson for Major League Baseball said any player who was to enter into an agreement with a gambling site, “would be a definite issue.”
Kevin Manning, spokesman for SIA, said the Montreal-based company had not spoken to the commissioner’s office before its supposed offer to Giambi.
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-- Tim Brown
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