Michael Strahan’s Super Bowl XLII jersey was pulled from auction

[Pat Patriot]

USA TODAY Sports

Here’s the final punctuation mark for a story from last week that, frankly, other events had caused us (me) to forget.

Goldin Auctions pulled Michael Strahan’s Super Bowl XLII jersey in response to a dispute from Strahan regarding the authenticity of the jersey.

The jersey will remain unavailable until the competing claims of legitimacy can be resolved. Goldin Auctions still believes it has the real jersey.

Last week, Strahan claimed publicly that the real jersey is framed in his gym.

The lawsuit filed several years ago against the Giants alleging fraudulent sale of game-used memorabilia alleged that a Giants employee had taken Strahan’s jersey and replaced it with a replica, one that had been doctored to show Gatorade stains.

Whether by DNA testing or lower-tech means (like comparison of the jerseys to photos taken during the game), both sides should want to know the truth. If Goldin Auctions doesn’t have the real jersey, someone will have to answer some tough questions. If Strahan doesn’t have the real jersey, he’ll have some tough questions of his own. Before any questions can properly be framed, an answer as to which jersey is the real jersey is needed.