Suit: Unitas Jr. Defrauded Dad's Company

[The_Philster]

BALTIMORE - John Unitas' son has been accused in a lawsuit of defrauding and helping to bankrupt the company that bore the name of the Hall of Fame quarterback.

The suit was filed Friday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Baltimore on behalf of John Unitas' widow, attorney and accountant. It alleges that John C. Unitas Jr. made himself the beneficiary of a $125,000 life insurance policy in the father's name, unbeknownst to other trustees of Unitas Management Corp., The (Baltimore) Sun reported Friday.

The suit seeks the return of roughly $60,000 from Unitas Jr., but said the plaintiffs don't have a full account of the money that's alleged to be missing. The company managed licensing and sports memorabilia deals for Unitas Sr. and other former athletes....more (http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/football/nfl/kansas_city_chiefs/6138657.htm)

[The_Philster]

Family, associates divided over memorabilia firm
As Baltimore mourned and celebrated last fall the memory of the quarterback known as "Johnny U" whose grit helped define the region's sense of itself, the family and close associates of John C. Unitas Sr. became mired in a bitter struggle over his legacy that has bubbled into public view.

Yesterday, John C. Unitas Jr., eldest of the famed athlete's eight children - five by his first marriage and three by his second - defended himself against accusations in lawsuits that he defrauded his late father's sports memorabilia company.

Unitas, 46, contended that his father's personal attorney and accountant were jealous over being omitted from the business while his father was alive and have maneuvered to gain control since his death Sept. 11....more (http://www.sunspot.net/sports/football/bal-te.bz.unitas24jun24,0,6734390.story?coll=bal-sports-football)

[The_Philster]

Unitas: The late Colts great's oldest son and second wife square off in court to contest the company that markets the Golden Arm's name and image.
Standing beneath an imposing bronze figure of his father, beside the downtown football stadium that many fans lobbied hard and futilely to have renamed for his father, John C. Unitas Jr. is recalling sweet memories of his dad and the Baltimore Colts.
He's lost in a moment, but it's not a touchdown drive. No, in his mind's eye, Unitas Jr. is ball boy again for the Colts - a lad with a beeswaxed crewcut resting in the top bunk in the players' dorm at summer training camp in Westminster with his dad stretched out in the bed below....
more (http://www.sunspot.net/sports/football/bal-te.bz.unitas20jul20,0,3850796.story?coll=bal-sports-football)