Leonard Fournette's wish to auction off his game jersey from LSU's 45-24 win over South Carolina last month to benefit flood victims in South Carolina is finally becoming a reality.
The jersey will be packaged with a South Carolina helmet used in the game, signed by former coach Steve Spurrier, and a Les Miles-autographed LSU helmet in an online auction with an opening bid of $7,000 for all three items. The auction opens Saturday morning at 8 a.m. ET, 12 hours before Fournette and the Tigers play their biggest game of the season at Alabama. The auction closes Monday at noon ET.
Bids can be placed through LSU's official athletics website.
"Having been through a similar situation with my family during Hurricane Katrina when I was 10 years old, this is something that I wanted to do to help those in need," Fournette said in a statement. "The generosity of people helped my family make it through Hurricane Katrina. I'm hopeful that the money raised with this auction can make a difference for those flood victims in South Carolina."
The NCAA doesn't permit players to place their jerseys in auctions and, if done through the school, NCAA rules require that the name be removed. However, through special NCAA permission, Fournette's auction has been authorized and his name will remain on the auctioned jersey.
The significance of the Spurrier-signed South Carolina helmet should drive up the bidding, as well. The game, which was moved from South Carolina to LSU just days before it was played because of flooding in Columbia, S.C., turned out to be the final game of Spurrier's coaching career. He announced his resignation two days later.
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