So will Fournette get the Tunsil Treatment

Josh Peter of USA Today reported Thursday that a family associate named Paul Price and Fournette's parents had set up a website to sell merchandise and build the prodigy's brand before he even set foot on the college gridiron.

According to Fournette's mother, Lory, the website shut down approximately 24 hours after it launched ahead of LSU's 2014 season opener once the NCAA learned of its existence. "There's certain rules that just can't be broken," she said.

But the damage may have already been done, since the website was selling T-shirts and hats that stood to capitalize on Fournette's name, image or likeness—which is a direct NCAA violation.

Lory Fournette described Price as a family manager who reportedly paid $10,000 for the website to be built. Three companies that were supplying the Fournette team with merchandise offered a total discount of $20,000 in anticipation of a huge profit that never materialized.

Furthermore, IWD Agency owner Joe McFerrin indicated Price never paid back an owed amount of $14,682. McFerrin developed the website, and both he and merchandise creator Chris Hanley stated Price had cleared the project with the NCAA.