Reports have surfaced that the High Country Grizzlies have been sued by Appalachian State alumni and NFL veteran Dexter Jackson. During his time in the NFL , Jackson played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Jets, and the Carolina Panthers.
Jackson has sued the High Country Grizzlies for damages in excess of $25,000 due to payments he said were affirmed to him but purportedly were never conveyed. The lawsuit was filed on Jan. 5 in the Watauga County Superior Court.
Jackson signed with the High Country Grizzlies on Dec. 12, 2016, after months of consultation by text and conversation. The accusation states that Jackson signed a sales representative contract along with a contract as a player. The payment for the sales representative contract contained $3,000 upfront and up to $9,500 in incentives based on ticket sales to be paid before the 2017 season began.
As a sales representative, Jackson’s duties included selling sponsorship packages and tickets to corporate business and individuals, completing weekly reports and creating sales charts. It was reported during later arbitration that he received no training on how to sell tickets or report forms to record sales.
Also, his contract included compensation for family health insurance, a job at Anytime Fitness for Jackson and his wife, as well as area at the Boone National Guard to train his kids and housing, according to the accusation. After being payed the upfront $3,000 salary and moving to Boone, the Grizzlies never compensated Jackson the $9,500 owed after multiple demands.
Jackson had requests for money beginning in Feb. 2017, before the season began. The conflict went to arbitration with the commissioner of the NAL on Aug. 24, 2017. The league ended up ruling in favor of Jackson for the $9,500 owed. The league told the Grizzlies that they should pay Jackson within 10 days.
The Grizzlies demanded that the commissioner change his decision, threatening to shift leagues if he didn’t. Indeed, High Country moved over to the American Arena League, stating that the league would provide more regional games.
Inside the Arena 