Meelypops is A1
We all saw what happened with Logan Paul's fake Pokemon case earlier this year. All of the men in that situation have gone on to respond in their own way. None have set a greater example than Jameel Mohammed from Meelypops.
Full disclosure, Jameel and I have been friends for years. I have always seen him as a leader in the hobby because of his massive quantity of collectibles and how he treats people (customers, employees, colleagues - literally everyone). I don't remember when exactly I first met Jameel (either 2018 or 2019) but I was impressed by his kindness and encouragement to a then small fish like me.
Anyone who has been to The National recognizes that his table is always reasonably priced - more so than almost anyone else. He and his wife Meredith are a joy to be around outside of shows as well. We spent some time together one night in Atlantic City during this year's National. Andy and I had the pleasure of going to dinner with them after the Midwest Monster last weekend. Let me tell you, this power couple has taken a lot of negativity since January, but they remain some of the most positive people in the hobby. How can that be?
I was not surprised when I heard Jameel had done a huge Pokemon deal back in April of 2021. I hadn't done much with Pokemon since I was a kid, but if I had any questions about high end Pokemon, I would have gone to Jameel.
For those of you that do not know the story, an acquaintance of Jameel's found a Sealed 6 Box Case of 1st Edition Pokemon. He bought it from another collector in Canada. Jameel was brought in to broker a deal with a high end collector, as they believed this to be the only sealed case in existence. They immediately got the case authenticated by Baseball Card Exchange. Jameel then brokered the deal with @shyne150 who got it to Logan Paul. Logan Paul opened it up on his YouTube channel and the case turned out to be fake.
As soon as I heard the news, my heart broke for Jameel and his team. I knew Jameel fully believed it to be a real case. I knew things were going to get really tough for him. As leaders do, Jameel took charge immediately and focused on doing the right thing - regardless of how hard it was.
Before we go any further, what do you think the right thing to do would be at this point?
This is where Jameel has truly gone above and beyond, showing his true character and leadership. Immediately after hearing the case was fake, he refunded his earnings from the record breaking deal. This can be confirmed from the @shyne150 IG account days after Logan Paul's video went viral. In addition to being out of his earnings from the deal, Jameel is out $250,000 that he had advanced for the other guy to make the original purchase from Canada.
I can't help but recognize how much Jameel has been wronged in this situation. He did not have anything to do with the case being fake. He has not made any profits from the situation. He lost a lot of money. He has had a lot of damage done to his reputation.
In spite of everything, there has been no smear campaign from Meelypops about the other guys involved. There has been no smear campaign about Baseball Card Exchange, who authenticated a fake case. He has cooperated fully with Shyne's legal team every step of the way.
This article is not about what the other guys did or didn't do. This article is about what Jameel did. In an extremely tough situation, he pinned his ears back and focused on doing what is right. Can we recognize how difficult that had to be? What were his other options? He could have not refunded anything and pointed fingers at some of the others, which honestly, makes sense to me. He could have disappeared and cashed out on the huge sale. He could have stepped back and let the lawyers fight it out. He could have blasted the others from his social medias in front of a substantial following. That's not what he did. At his own expense, he refunded the money immediately and led with integrity. However, he has still paid the price on social media with all of the trolls and haters ready to go to war on their keyboards. Money, respect, following - a good amount of each of these pieces of business have been lost to Meelypops because of this situation, despite his complete dedication to doing what is right.
I have been with Jameel three times since the incident - both Midwest Monster shows and The National. He has the same smile. His wife Meredith is kind and welcoming. I see them conducting great business at the shows and online - giving customers good deals and paying fair when they buy. How can they be so positive after going through such a hard situation?
When someone asked Jesus what the most important rules were, he said
"Love God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself." Matthew 22:36-39
These words are the heart of our purpose as a business. I recognize that not everyone believes the way we believe, but I also recognize that people want to be treated the way Jesus says to treat them - with love.
Glorifying God is a choice I get to make - not a choice I hold others to. I respect free will. I will choose to use mine to glorify God. When I think of that term, glorifying God, my mind goes to throwing touchdowns and postgame interviews: Pointing to God on the mountaintop instead of myself.
What I have learned from Jameel and Meredith through this situation is that you can still glorify God through the valleys of life. I know they love the Lord and that love has led them to do the right thing in each step of these difficult circumstances. I am sure they still have hardships ahead. But I will never forget, and you shouldn't either, their dedication to do the right thing, no matter what.
God is being glorified and people are being loved by Meelypops.
There is going to be some justice done in this situation - as there should be. I believe there is still a legal battle being fought. I don't know how things will go, but I know Jameel will make good choices along the way just as he has done to this point.
