SAN DIEGO _ The original 1994 Heisman Trophy that was awarded to the late Rashaan Salaam is going up for online auction.
SCP Auctions announced it will start taking bids on Jan. 8 and close them on Jan. 20. The website is scpauctions.com. SCP said a portion of the proceeds from the sale will be donated to CTE research. The company said it expects the trophy to sell for more than $300,000.
Salaam, a San Diego native who starred in 8-man high school football at La Jolla Country Day, committed suicide last December in Boulder, Colo. He was 42 and reportedly suffered from depression for years after a standout career at the University of Colorado, and four years in the NFL with the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns.
It is unknown whether CTE _ the brain condition linked to head trauma suffered by football players _ contributed to Salaam's difficult mental state. His family, citing their Muslim faith, which doesn't allow for bodies to be defiled after death, did not allow his brain to be analyzed.
Less than a month after his death, the Boulder County Coroner's office concluded that Salaam died from a gunshot wound to the head. He had more than three times the legal blood-alcohol level in his system, as well as THC.
In 2013, Salaam sold his Heisman Trophy to a sports memorabilia dealer, who resold it to its present owner that same year. The trophy is accompanied by a letter from Salaam acknowledging the sale.
According to SCP Auctions, previous auction sales of Heisman Trophies include O.J. Simpson's 1968 trophy for $255,000 (1999); Larry Kelley's 1936 trophy for $328,100 (1999); Bruce P. Smith's 1941 trophy for $395,240 (2005); Charles White's 1979 trophy for $293,750 (2006); and Paul Hornung's duplicate 1956 trophy for $250,000 in 2000.
Two other Heismans have reportedly been sold in private sales under confidentially agreements with the trophy owners.
In 2005 SCP Auctions sold the original plaster cast by artist Frank Eliscu used to create the original mold for the 1935 Heisman trophy sculpture for $228,000.
At 20 years old, Salaam won the Heisman Trophy in his junior season after rushing for 2,055 yards. He also captured the Doak Walker Award as the nation's top running back.
Salaam was the second of San Diego's four Heisman Trophy winners, following Lincoln's Marcus Allen (1981) and preceding Patrick Henry's Ricky Williams (1998) and Helix's Reggie Bush (2005).
At La Jolla Country Day, Salaam scored a California high school-record 50 TDs in his junior season while rushing for 2,164 yards (18.8 per carry). In 2{ seasons, he compiled nearly 5,000 yards (4,965) and scored 112 touchdowns.
