- DeVito's agent said no formal agreement was ever made with the store
- The undrafted free agent has led the Giants to their best stretch of the season
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Tommy DeVito was able to make amends with a local New Jersey pizzeria on Tuesday night after receiving widespread criticism for allegedly raising his fee.
The owners of Coniglio's Old Fashioned Pizzeria in Morristown, NJ, claimed that DeVito agreed to appear at the restaurant for $10,000, but later doubled his fee after the Giants defeated the Green Bay Packers on December 11.
'After last week's victory, we were informed by his agent that his appearance fee would be doubled (from 10,000 to 20); We are a small family business and decided $20,000 was a bit high for two hours,” the pizzeria wrote when they canceled the event.
'Apologies to anyone who had already purchased a ticket.'
The quarterback of the New York Giants agent, Sean Stellato, addressed the issue by mentioning how the event was announced before a deal was reached.
New York Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito made up for a miscommunication on the putback
Sean Stellato, DeVito's agent, said no formal agreement was ever made with the store
“It's unfortunate that the restaurant promoted that they wanted Tommy when we didn't have a signed contract. We did not increase the price because nothing was ever agreed upon,” Stellato said per Darren Rovel.
Restaurant owner Nino Coniglio responded with a screenshot of a message thread with Stellato.
The owners of Coniglio's Old Fashioned Pizzeria in Morristown, NJ, claimed that DeVito agreed to appear at the restaurant for $10,000.
'We agreed in principle on the terms: 2 hours, 250 signatures and $10,000, but then the agent could no longer be reached. He contacted us after Monday's game to tell us the prize was now $20,000,” Coniglio said via Rovell.
However, DeVito decided to make a surprise appearance at the restaurant for free on Tuesday night.
The quarterback spent several hours with the owners and fans.
Sean Salci, DeVito's marketing agent and attorney, told TMZ that “DeVito and the owner made amends” and that he “got the full experience today.”
Since being inserted into the lineup due to injuries to fellow QBs Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor, DeVito has risen to fame and become one of the most popular players in the NFL.
The undrafted free agent out of Syracuse has gone 3-2 since taking over as starter and has posted three straight wins, creating a new level of excitement among New York's fan base during a mediocre season.
Through his five games under center, DeVito has completed 103 of 160 passes for 1,032 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions.