Former Oakland Raiders executive Mike Ornstein has reached a plea agreement in a federal case involving the re-sale of the Super Bowl tickets and game-worn NFL jerseys, Liz Mullen of the SportsBusiness Journal reports. Ornstein currently works as the agent for New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton, and was a central figure in the NCAA investigation of the Reggie Bush and the University of Southern California football program. The NCAA's investigation revealed that while current Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll was the head coach at USC, he encouraged Ornstein to hire several student-athletes, including Bush, as summer interns. Ornstein is also alleged to have funneled money to Bush's parents to pay for trips, and Bush later hired Ornstein to be his marketing agent, which resulted in $50 million in off-field endorsements for the second overall pick of the 2006 NFL Draft. Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune took to his Twitter account to state how Ornstein's plea reflects poorly on the entire Saints organization, and not just Sean Payton. "Reflects poorly on #Saints... Ornstein was a de facto member of organization...Ornstein wears Saints issue gear to games, sits in team meetings, is on sideline & in locker room for games, makes himself @ home in offices...Ornstein did everything for Saints EXCEPT draw a reg paycheck. Not sure if he received a SB ring or not, but I can almost guarantee he did." Source: Mac's Football Blog
