Keyshawn Johnson scores in lawsuit over unpaid scouting fees

The former wide receiver says agent Christopher Ellison owes him nearly $1 million.LOS ANGELES (CN) — Former NFL wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson’s breach of contract lawsuit against a sports agent gained a bit of yardage Thursday after a judge denied the defendant’s motion to dismiss the case.Agent and attorney Christopher Ellison, who is representing himself, did not make an appearance at the minutes-long hearing, and so the court’s tentative ruling was adopted as final. A jury trial is tentatively scheduled for November.Johnson, who won the Super Bowl in 2003 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, sued Ellison in May 2025 on breach of oral contract and negligence claims, among other things, saying the agent owes him nearly $1 million in finders fees for spotting NFL prospects. In the complaint, Johnson says the two entered into an oral contract in 2015 in which the three-time Pro Bowler would “identify, contact, and recruit NFL players” that Ellison would then attempt to sign. Johnson says he was owed a third of Ellison’s commission — 33% of 3% of the contract.According to Johnson’s complaint, Ellison “made multiple payments to plaintiff for certain player recruitments,” but the payments then stopped. He says he was never paid for fees connected to the contracts of four NFL players, including Deommodore Lenoir of the San Francisco 49ers, who earns more than $15 million a year.“In total, plaintiff is owed no less than $962,335 for the recruitment work plaintiff performed and the commissions defendant earned as a direct result of plaintiff’s efforts,” Johnson says in his complaint. “For several months, defendant claimed he had not received any payments related to the players plaintiff recruited. Plaintiff reasonably believes that claim is false and was made to delay and evade defendant’s obligations.“Plaintiff’s efforts to recover his earned payments have been met with defendant’s continued refusal and radio silence, leaving Plaintiff no choice but to seek relief through this court.”Ellison filed a motion for judgment on the pleadings, arguing Johnson’s complaint “provides a fictional depiction of the parties’ business relationship over the last 11 years,” and that it was “devoid of any facts which supports plaintiff’s position that plaintiff’s performance was the reason these NFL players signed with defendant.”While Ellison is a licensed sports agent, he noted Johnson is not. Ellison argued that if Johnson is telling the truth, he acted illegally as an unlicensed “runner” or “capper” — reason alone to dismiss the complaint.In his tentative ruling, adopted as final, Superior Court Judge Thomas Long rejected all of Ellison’s arguments with little fuss.“Defendant’s illegality defense presents factual and legal questions that are contrary to the pleadings and cannot be resolved at this stage,” Long wrote, adding Johnson has adequately pleaded all six causes of action in his complaint.Neither Ellison nor Johnson’s attorney responded to emails requesting a comment on the ruling.Categories / Courts, SportsSubscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads