Here ya go, Doc.
https://consumerist.com/2017/04/14/collectors-say-eli-manning-knew-company-was-selling-phony-memorabilia/
Yeah, he is contracted to do autographs for a competitor. They have a pretty strong stranglehold on the autograph market for athletes in New York.
The autographed memorabilia business is a weird one. When we do athlete signings they basically lock them in a room for a few hours with tables and tables of helmets, balls, pictures, jerseys, etc. and they just sign all day.
The game used gear is a whole different animal. To do it properly you have to have a chain of evidence procedure that puts law enforcement to shame. You almost have to be at the door of the locker room collecting gear right off the player's bodies in order to fully authenticate it.