Unitas article

Battle over golden legacy

1. Two families
in battle over
golden legacy
Unitajs: The late Colts great's oldest
son and sircoml wife square off in court
(o contest the company that markets tin;
Golden Arm's name and Image.
By AKDKZW RATHER
Standing beneath an Imposing bronze flRure of
his father, beside the downtown football stadium
that many fans lobbied hard and lULUely to have
renamed for his father. John C. Unllas Jr. Is recall-
Ing sweet memories of his ciad and the Baltimore
He's lost In a moment, but it's not a touchdown
drive. No. In his mind's eye. Unllas Jr. Is ball boy
again for the Colls — a lad with a beeswaxed
crewcut resting In the top bunk In the players'
camp In Westminster with his
dad stretched out in the bed
below.
~l never looked at my father
as a celebrity. He was my fa-
ther," said Unllas Jr.. 47, of
Unllas Sr. who died Sept. 1L
"He'd spend hours al home
studying film, cradling me and
my sister on his lap. Dad
would get a game boll from a
bin game, like Ihe 'SB champi-
onship or somelhlng Impor-
tanL We would take off with It
and then go play wflh It out
front and lose It. He didn't
care. He was a great man, a
great man."
Unllas Jr. adored his father,
went Into business with him —
and Is now being accused of
attempting to steal from him
by people who also were dose
to his father his own step-
mother and Unllas' second
wife. Sandra, and his father's
attorney and accountant. The
three recently took control of
the company thai father and
son formed In 1991 to market
Unites for promotional pur-
poses.
Sandra Unltaa re- Last year, the company
cently took control of earned almost $1 million by
the company, selling licensing rights, auto-
graphs and appearances by
man known as 'Johnny U." and the question of who
w)H pro til from It have triggered a court battle and
an acrimonious public exchange of accusations.
The emotional price ls already heavy within
Unltas' extended family.
The children of his firs', marriage say they didn't
know their father's ashes were being laid to rest
this spring until they were no- {See Unites. ift»|
John Unltas Jr. nnd
Ua father farmed
LS Management.

2. Page IDA: Sunday. July 20.2003: The Sun
"They're eating John [Jr.] right now. Lawyers don't come cheap. Asa friend, it just breaks my heart. If his father had meant
for any of this to happen, his father would have yanked the business from him long ago."
Stive Spean, a Chicago attorney who earlier represented Unltat Management, referring to John Unltat Sr attorney Charlet M. TWelbaum and accountant Howard H. Moffet
Unitas families in a legal battle
[Unites, from Page IA]
titled afterward — with a ceme-
tery map snowing where they
could visit. They were also left
out of ceremonies to announce
Uie renaming of Towson Univer-
sity's stadium and 19th Street In
Ocean City In their father'!
honor.
Unitas h»d five children with
the former Dorothy Jean HoeUe,
whom he met In high school In
Pittsburgh on a bus to a school
basketball fame. They married
In 1954. Their children are Jan-
Ice, 48: John Jr.. 47; Kobe/I, H5;
Christopher. 43: and Kenneth.
35, The couple divorced In 1972.
She died in May 2002 at age 67.
four months before her former
husband.
The Colt quarterback had
three children with the former
Sandra Lemon, whom he met at
a department store football pro-
motion and married the day of
his divorce, near the end of his
career. Their children are Fran-
cis Joseph. 29. known as Joe:
Chad, 24: and Alicia Ann Paige.
21. known as Paige.
The families gathered for holi-
days and birthdays, and the
half-siblings, nearly a generation
apart, referred to each other as
"brothers' and 'sister*.' But It
was a more tenuous balance
than tt appeared to most oulsid-
Johnny U.'s work ethk: and back-
ground and character that some
company will want to Identify
with.'
Unitas acknowledged that his
timing was better In releasing a
football than cashing la quite
aware that lesser talents who
followed him earned much
more. As his fame grew during
his Colt years, he began accept-
ing commercials and appear-
ances for extra cash, although
he thought It was difficult to
make good money for such work
beyond New York.
"You go to a banquet In Balti-
more, and If It's not tree. It's S2i.'
he wrote In a 1W5 autobiogra-
phy. Pro Quarterback: MU Own
Slory. with Ed FlUgerald. He
filmed one local commercial
with his family singing for "Mary
Sue Easter Eggs.' He lamented
that It was "the worst commer-
cial rd ever s«en' and only pro-
vided fresh material for discon-
tented fans who would holler.
'Get Mary Sue out of there."
On comeback trail
After Unitas" career, and his
emergence from S3 million In
debt thanki to his Chapter 11
bankruptcy proceeding, his son
crossed paths with a Washing-
Unitas' first offspring...
John C. Unltaa Jr. (ceoter) held a oewi conference lart month to mpoMl to the law*ult against him. Standing behind him arc his brotb-
-We had a mother whose atlt- en Kenneth (left) and Robert. At the table are attorney Robert R. Bowie Jr. <leA) and UnlUa' slater, Janice,
Uiile was. 'He's your father no
matter what happened between
he and r We didn't go away. We
were truly chips off the old
block. We would not go away.'
said Janice Ann Unitaa-DeNlt-
Us, the eldest child.
'&B bad u It gvtfl*
But now. Ute conflict Is ugly
and In sharp contrast with the
Image of the man.
Unitas and his team didn't
merely play a game, but embod-
ied Baltimore during the 1950s
and '80s, The motto that Colts
legions used to unfurl on ban-
nera at Memorial Stadium, how-
ever, might now have a sad ad-
dendum: -Unitas We Stand — In
disarray*
Tve never been Involved in
anything like this before,' said
Scott Wldelltz. an executive with
Dreams Inc.. a publldy traded
sports marketing company In
Florida that was negotiating to
hire L'nltos Jr. and sign a six-fig-
ure licensing contract when the
dispute halted those talks. This
Is as bad as it gets.*
Sandra Uoltas. attorney
Charles M. Tatelbaum and ac-
countant Howard H. Moffet
took control of Unitas Manage-
ment Corp. from Unlta* Jr. last
winter.
The three claim that the son
misspent tens of thousands of
dollarc on persona) needs as
president of the company. They
also allege that Unitas Sr. con-
fided his concern about It :o
Moffet before he died of a heart
attack at age OB.
That Is a lie, says the son, who
U described by many people
who had business dealings with
him as a fierce negotiator for
and protector of his father's Im-
age
He and his siblings also assert
that their father wouldn't have
hesitated to Inform any of them
if he was displeased with them.
Unitas Jr. said that the only
assets of value Unitas Manage-
ment owns were bought for his
stepmother and her children at
his falher'i request: a white.
Lexus sport-utility vehicle that
Sandra Unitas drives and a
1170.000 townhouse In Mays
Chapel where her son Chad has
lived since attending Towson
University.
Tatelbaum said that Unila*
Jr.'t name on the deed of the
townhouse Indicates fraud.
Unltat Jr.. who has a Realtor's
license, said he signed the deed
merely to gain a better Interest
rate than the company could as
a purchaser, lie has never set
foot in the townhouse, he said.
named Warren S, Rosenfeld.
Unitas Jr.. then In his 30s. was
selling ads In legal publications.
Rosen/eld was one of his ac-
counts,
A discussion between them
led to the formation of Unitas
Management Corp. The son
helped penuade his father of
the wisdom of the move by
pointing KJ the work of another
attorney In Rosenfeld* building
named David Falk. who was
cooking up unprecedented
sneaker deals for on ascending
basketball star. Michael Jordan.
But the father wasn't thinking
of himself. Hosenfeld recalled.
'Senior was adamant that
UUj launch Junior off on his ca-
reer." the attorney said. "He was
proud of Junior's career In legal
publishing, very proud of his
get-up-and-go and that he
'Johnny Unllas.' He fdl that this
was something he could do for
Junior to launch him to the next
level of success."
With a more aggressive ap-
proach than the previous hand-
shake deals and contracts on
napkins, promotional Income for
Unitas tripled from less than
$100.000 to $300.000 In a few
yean. Rosenfeld said.
The son seized on opportuni-
ties faster than before. One eve-
ning, he nolked a passing refer-
ence LO his father while watching
the 1960s TV hit Coacft. He
... and his second
John Uaha* widow, Sandra, la unrounded by her children Chad (right), Joe and Palfedarlnc a tribute to Ute Ute Cottaquartertiack
before a Baltimore RKV«QI garae four dayi after Unltai' death In September.
ho big money
Although Unltaj Is regarded
as one of the greatest players —
if not the greatest — ever in
football, his 17 years with the
Colt* preceded the ere of mil-
Uon-dollar contracts for profes-
sional athletes. Some players to-
day spend as much on can as
the largest contract Unitas ever
signed — $250.000 with the San
Diego Chargen In his final year.
1973.
His uncanny ability to read
his opponent's Intent on a foot-
ball field seemed In Inverse pro-
portion to his ability to Judge
business propositions. An unfor-
tunate array of Investments, In
businesses from bowling lanes
to circuit boards, forced him
LT.IU personal bankruptcy pro-
tection in 1»1. He recovered fi-
nancially, but he didn't die Im-
mensely wealUiy.
The details of his estate have
yet to be filed In Baltimore
County, but he left two life in-
1M5.000 to be divided among
Sandra Unitas and the eight
grown children. Days before he
20-acre estate In Baltimore
County horse country for
$875.000.
Unitas couldn't print money,
but he came as close to it as
mortal man might Imagine In
his later years, as the memora-
bilia market soared. A glossy
photo of him bought for 11.50
wholesale gained about 180 In
value once he signed i: A hel-
met with the Colts* horseshoe
logo, bought for $300 wholesale,
sold for twice that amount with
Unltas' autograph and might
•ell for triple that since he died,
sports marketing expert* said.
Even In death, his vaunted
name would be the gift that
keeps giving for whoever gains
the right to sell It. Although
-••ports marketing experts said
Its worth depends heavily on
how well the "property" Is man-
aged and promoted, some say
Unltai1 trademark could easily
fetch $250.000 a year or more.
Babe Ruth's Image generates
$1 million a year. 29 yean after
the Baltimore-born slugger died.
And an Elvis-like Infatuation
with auto ncer Dale Earnhardt,
who died In a crash two yean
ago, generates 120 million a year
for his estate, according lo a
For bet magazine poll of top-
earning dead celebrities.
It's surprising, but people are
really Into nostalgia." sold Dan-
iel Mantle. 43. of Dallas, who
wtih his brother manages the li-
cense for his late father, the
Yankee star. Mickey Mantle's
Image generates between
1250,000 and 1500.000 a year for
Inclusion on everything from
corporate advertising to: slot
machines. "His name Just gets
bigger for some reason. It's nat-
tering that people still think of
him."
Unitas, likewise, presents a
rare opportunity. He epitomized
an era recalled for tough and
gallant players — a John Wayne
In tilghtop cleats. Prom an ad-
vertising penpectlve, hli Iconk
penona Is more valued even
than his record-setting play on
long-ago Sundays. A recent poll
on ESPN.com ranked him fifth
among the greatest sports he-
roes, behind only Jackie Robin-
son. Babe Ruth, VTnce Lombard!
and Muhammad AIL
"People ask me, why is Babe
Ruth so popular? He was some-
one who appealed to the every-
day man. He was kind of one of
them.' said Pete Enfleld of CMC
Worldwide Inc.. a prominent li-
censee that hold* rights to
Ruth. Marilyn Monroe and other
deceased celebrities and which
did limited work for Unitas.
There's something like that In
A bench at Dulaaey Valley Memorial Garden*
(led) servu aa a modest memorial to •
modeat man who happened to be a football
•Hperttar. The children of Unltaa' tint
marrtafe oay they didn't know their rathert
ebdng laid to rert there until they
wm notified afterward by Sandra UDlia* —
with a cemetery map (above) and a
handwritten not* ihowlnf the spot
his father In the Screen Actor's
Oulld and got him scripted Into
a later episode — «.',n a decent
payday.
The experience helped lead to
Unlus cameos In the 1999 mov-
ies Ar.-.i Given Sunday and
Runaway Bride, and even to
use ofhls voice and caricature In
an episode of The Stmpsons.
The mere mention of Unitas'
which contrasted him with the
flashier Joe Namalh, brought
$75.000. said Nova Lanktree. a
Chicago agent who helped ar-
range several national TV spot*
for Unitas.
The father confided to Rosen-
feld that he wished his son
would reach out to license even
more retired stars, but Rosen-
feld never doubted their bond.
"John Unltas Sr. walked on
water to Junior you could see
the Interaction between the
two." he said. "I have a hard time
believing Junior would have
done anything to Injure his dad
or anyone his dad loved."
Chill sols in
But that's exactly what ho*
been alleged almost since
Unitas died Sept. II, 2002, Just
as the nation mourned the first
anniversary of the terrorist hi-
jackings that killed more than
3.000 In New York, Washington
and a Pennsylvania field 70
miles from his birthplace.
Last Sept. 12, Monet, Unitas'
personal accountant, phoned
Saul Bashed, who handled the
book* for Unitas Management.
He wanted financial records
that he had sought without suc-
cess since spring 2002. he said.
Unitas Jr. told Bash o (I he was
surprised Model dldnt already
have them. He had given them
10 his dad to give to Moffet after
his father asked for them
months eartter. he said.
By October, the exchanges be-
came more frequent and terse.
Tatelbaum. whom Unltas
named a* his personal repre-
sentative In his will with Moffet.
warned the son not to "deviate
from normal [See Unilat. '.!•..

3. The Sun: Sunday. July 20.2003: Page 1 IA
"/ never looked at my father as a celebrity. He was my father.... He was a great man, agreatman.'
John C. Unlttt Jr., cidfst .wnvft.1t late Colt* quarterback
[Unttas. from Page 10*1
practices* until control of the
business coukl b« settled.
Unltas Jr. who holds 10 per-
cent of the shares In UnlUi
Management. countered that he
Is entitled to his father's 90 per-
cent of Unltas Management kn
exchange for Unltas Jr. turning
over a $125.000 life Insurance
policy to his stepmother and her
children. Unltas Jr. and his at-
torney. Robert R. Bowie Jr.. eon-
tended that Unltai outlined
such a trade In the event oC his
death In a 'shareholder agree-
ment* In 1992.
By December, the chill had
tully blown in. Unltas Jr. Dew to
Louisville. Ky.. to Join Sandra
Unltas and her (amity at a re-
ception for the Oolden Arm
Foundation Inc.. a scholarship
program that Unltas Initialed.
-She was acting like nothing
was going oa" Unltas Jr. said of
his stepmother. 'We were on the
dais, having pictures taken with
the award winners. We flew back
home together We were walking
on the tarmac [at Baltimore-
Washington International Air-
port). I said, 'Sandy, can we stt
and talk?' She Just said. This Is
how your father wonted this to
be.' I said. 'Ho. this Is not how
my father wanted It to be.' Chad
and Paige Just looked on.
stunned.
'I haven't talked to her since
December. Chad came to the of-
fice once. I told him. The onry
people who win here are the at-
torneys. I had every Intention of
taking care of you: He said, 'I
don't want to know anything.' ~
Chad Unltas declined to com-
ment recently.
Desperation pua
Sandra Unltas, who Is 59. also
declined to be Interviewed, al-
though she concurs with Tatel-
baum and Moffet thai her hus-
band had expressed misgiving*
to Mattel about the handling of
company profits.
•This all started before my
husband died, and I'm sure he
was doing the right thing.' the
said. "People know me. so I'm
not worried about my reputa-
tion.'
Sandra Unltas. Tatelbaum
and Moffet Invited Unltas Jr.
and h;s wife, Christine, to a
meeting Jan. 8 after asserting
Spears said. 'They're eating
John right now. Lawyers don'l
come cheap. As a friend. 11 Just
breaks my heart. If his father
had meant for any of this to
happen, his father would have
yanked the business from him
long ago."
Talclbaum. meanwhile, was
arrested and accused of insur-
ance fraud In March In Florida.
where he had relocated from
Baltimore years ago. He was ac-
cused of Improperly claiming a
former wife as his dependent for
a seemingly meager health In-
surance dalm of S5.06L He says
that It Is a misunderstanding
and that he will be exonerated.
Tatelbaum's arrest made
headlines in legal Journals be-
cause of his repule In creditors'
rights law. He is Ihe principal
aulhor of Chapter 10 of the U.S.
Bankruptcy Code, dealing with
small business, and he aided
Croatia and Slovakia In Imple-
menting bankruptcy laws at the
invitation of :l:s US. State De-
partment.
Tatelbaum declined to elabo-
rate on the Unltas case outside
of federal court in Baltimore,
where he wore a gold lapel pin
with Unltas' number. 19. He
threatened *one of the largest
defamation
suits In a long
time' against
Unltas Jr. to a
reporter when
pressed.
Court pa-
pers shed lit-
tle light on
high living by
Unltas Jr. that
his accusers
have alleged.
In fact, three of the five credi-
tors listed In the bankruptcy
dalm are the law and account-
ing Orms of TateJbaum. Model
and their co-counsel with their
bills totaling almoit $85,000. An-
Thert's a
BIG DIFFER^*
in gtstlines, too!
Try The
Two-Tank Test
An advertisement for Crown gasoline In a CoILn program trom the
late 1950i pain John UnitM Sr. and Jr. If ore than 30 yean Inter,
falber and son would form Uottu Maoacvmcnt Corp.
TateRMUim
other $137.000 Is owed to Wells
Fargo and American Express,
which extended lines of credit to
the business.
Unltas Jr. said he was paid
about 136.000 kn annual salary
by Unltas Management. He has
other income trom a commercial
collection agency he runs and
from selling real estate.
His father received about
5*5.000 to $120,000 a year from
Unltas Management, he said.
Both men collected tens ofthou-
sands more between them in
year-end bonuses, the son said.
Other expenses Included S25.000
for the father's pension plan,
iao.000 for his annual tax bill
and a S4.000 premium on a
$100,000 life Insurance policy.
Unltas, his eldest son said. In-
tended the proceeds from that
policy for his first five children,
whom he otherwise categorically
disinherited In his wllL
Unltas' will appeared unkind —
"my children from my prior mar-
riage ... shall b« deemed to have
predeceased me' — he found
other ways to help his grown
children.
Two years ago, for example,
he used Unltas Management to
back a loan lo set up Robert, hia
second-olden son. in a gas sta-
tion business In Bel Air. It
closed after a year.
The will, however, appears to
be an Indication of the simmer-
ing divisions that nave boiled
over since the lawsuits.
Unltas Jr. and his siblings
contend they were not Invited to
the dedication of a site at Du-
lancy Valley Memorial Gardens
in Tlmonlum where their fa-
ther's ashes were spread last
spring. A simple bench of pol-
ished granite Inscribed with the
name 'Unltas* sits by a pond be-
neath a shade tree. It Is wholry
unassuming, with no mention of
football exploits, In keeping with
his wishes.
Sandra Unltas said that she
wrote each child Individually
about the memorial, but Unllas
Jr. fell lhat his note was inap-
propriately curt.
'John — This map will show
you where your father was put
to rest on May 23.2003. Sandra,"
the message read, with an arruw
to the father's resting place.
The official naming of the sU-
dlum at Towson University for
Unltas. planned for October,
also faces precarious circum-
stances. Although Unltas Jr.
said he is pleased wlih the trib-
ute, he is concerned that the
university does not have a
proper licensing agreement and
could attempt to sell Items with
his father's name or likeness.
University spokeswoman Su-
sanna Crane said the school
has a general 'memorandum of
understanding" signed by San-
dra Unltas. Tatelbaum and Mof-
fet. but hasn't worked out de-
tails about the stadium name
and has no plans tor souvenir
sales.
The school Is aware of the dis-
pute, she said. Towson officials
asked Sandra Unltas to be an
ambassador for their athJetlc
program to fill a role that was
being carved for her husband
before he died.
Two victim*
Unltas Jr., who resembles his
father, except for a mane of sil-
vered auburn hair more abun-
dant than his dad's signature
buzz cut, also appears direct
and hotly competitive like bis fa-
ther, but he laid he sometime*
goes Into his attorney's office
Just to cry.
'I don't know If It's ever going
to end,' he says, glancing at his
attorney. '1 don't know if I'm
supposed to say this, but some-
times I don't know if I should
Just throw my hands up and say
to the other side, 'You've won.'
"I guarantee you my father
did not want this to happen,'
said Unltas Jr.. father of a
15-year-old son and a 12-year-old
daughter, the latest generation
affected. "My kids know whal's
going on. No more birthday
cards from Grandma (Sandra |.
This is a total ruination of
our oimlty. I'm victim No. 1, bul I
think Sandy Is victim No. 2."
Raymond Berry. Unltas' favor-
ite larget as a Colts receiver,
said he sensed no trouble
brewing a year ago when Unltas
Jr. arranged a store promotion
for him, or a year earlier when
John and Sandra Unltas spent
several days with the Berrys at
Ihelr Colorado home — 'the
best visit we'd had in years."
'I was surprised about It.'
said Berry, TO, about the family
feud. "Maybe if he was here, this
never would have happened'
Unltas Jr. didn't consider the
meeting legitimate, so he and
his wire did not attend. The trio
met and voted him out as presl-
Unllas as president, Moffei as
secretary and Tatelbaum at as-
sistant secretary.
Two weeks later, Unllas Jr.
tried the equivalent of a football
•Hall Mary" pass. He asked San-
dra and her children to a dinner
on 'Super Bowl Sunday" al his
home 'without lawyers or ac-
countant* or anybody else." his
invltailon read. He received no
reply.
On Feb. 12, Baltimore County
Circuit Judge Thomas J.
BoUlnger Sr,, ruling on a claim
Tatelbaum filed In state court,
upheld the right of the three to
lake control of the company.
The next day, Talelbaum
wrote Unltas Jr. to offer him a
Job as an employee of the com-
pany and asked him to propose
a salary and duties for himself.
Unltas Jr. considered the offer
ludicrous, coming from people
who were In the midst of kicking
him out. He drove to his attor-
ney's office In Towson to turn
over his home-office computer
and canons of business files.
Unltas Jr. has appealed
Bellinger's ruling to the Mary-
land Court of Special Appeals. A
hearing is set for November, An-
other case ti also wending
through federal court, where
Sandra Unltas, Talelbaum and
Moffet have sought Chapter 11
Unllas Jr. said he hopes la get
the federal case dismissed Fri-
day.
Opportunities fn*1lT*c
While Unltas Jr. disputes the
claim that Unltas Management
Is bankrupt, he acknowledges
that heavy legal expenses, the
death of Ihe company's star at-
traction and the Inability u> ne-
gotlaie deals during the dispute
have rapidly eroded cash flow.
Some sports-marketing exec-
utives fear that opportunities
available In the year afler
Unltas' death, with emotions
highest, have been all but lost
'John Jr. was concerned for
some lime about what they
would do lo Ihe business. He
didn't feel they managed his fa-
thers business affair* well." said
Steve Spears, a Chicago attor-
Unltas Management, referring
to Tatelbaum and Moffet. 'In all
the lime that Senior controlled
the company. If he wanted Tatel-
baum and Moffei to have had
anything lo do wlih 11, nil he had
to do was to say the word. He
never did.
"John Jr. li not a rich man.
This business dldnt make him a
rich man. I have no Idea how
he's paying for the litigation.'
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