Jameis Winston Autograph Authentication: Far from Scandalous

Jameis Winston’s autograph authentication is the most recent witch hunt undertaken by those eager to dig up something on FSU’s star QB.

The latest blip on the national media’s Jameis Winston scandal radar involves a number of Winston-signed items being authenticated by the same authentication house that was involved with Georgia running back Todd Gurley. Gurley, of course, was suspended indefinitely for selling his autograph for profit. But simply having items authenticated is far from the same thing.

Authentication is an exercise in protection, plain and simple. The athlete or celebrity is protected by professionals who are paid to make judgments as to the authenticity of a signature. They gain the assurance that people aren’t out there forging their names. This payment comes from one seeking a letter of authenticity, which validates the autograph s/he possesses, as, in fact, the real deal and not a fake.

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The reason for the Gurley-Winston “connection,” in this case is that items bearing each athlete’s signature have come through the same authentication service, James Spence Authentication. Is it an underhanded company notorious for working around he law? It doesn’t sound like it. Per the James Spence Authentication website: “JSA letters of authenticity are guaranteed to be accepted by all collectors, dealers, and auction houses worldwide, or your submission fee will be reimbursed.” In other words, JSA is saying that its work is respected and universally accepted– and if it isn’t, the company won’t charge you.

The website also claims that “JSA’s services are utilized by more major auction houses than any other autograph authentication company in the world. Our company’s extensive autograph exemplar database and our team’s expertise in authenticating autographs are second to none in the industry.” This is important to know, as it speaks to volume. That is, a lot of people use the established JSA, which must necessarily traffic in myriad signed items.

Todd Gurley and Jameis Winston are two of the biggest stars in college football. Their signatures are highly sought after, and while I can’t speak to Gurley’s signing habits, Winston is famous for signing hundreds of autographs before baseball games, both at home and on the road. On the morning of FSU’s annual fan day, the line for Winston signatures was easily the longest at the Tucker Center. The point is: his autograph is out there, and it’s out there plenty. A Winston autograph is far from a rare commodity, so a number of them present at the same authentication service is far from a scandal.

Is it really such a coincidence that two such notable southeastern athletes would have signed items pop up at the same industry-leading authentication company (that has an office in Florida)? The simple answer, of course, is no. Asserting some sort of relationship between Gurley’s transgressions and Winston is spurious at best and slanderous at worst.

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