Fans of Tommy DeVito and pizza were not disappointed on Tuesday.
After a dispute over his appearance fee at a New Jersey pizza shop threatened to cancel his appearance, the New York Giants quarterback and Italian-American sensation showed up on time to sample pies and interact with fans. . And, according to reporter Darren Lovell, he did it for free.
Here, DeVito watches owner Nino Coniglio work behind the counter at Coniglio’s Old Fashioned in Morristown, N.J., on Tuesday.
Class action lawsuit: Giants QB Tommy DeVito showed up alone, unpaid, this afternoon at the Coniglios pizza restaurant where he was originally scheduled to appear.
Together with owner Nino Coniglio, we make soda the old-fashioned way. pic.twitter.com/k8w8pK5OkG
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) December 19, 2023
The scene almost never materialized due to continued online back and forth after Coniglio and DeVito’s agent, Sean Stellato, threatened to pull out of the show. On Sunday, Conillo said on Instagram that Stellato doubled his agreed-upon $10,000 appearance fee after DeVito led New York to its third consecutive win as a starting pitcher in a high-profile game against the Green Bay Packers on Monday night. Posted on gram.
The match was a prime-time match that featured Stellato’s full involvement in DeVito’s romantic relationship with the Italian-American community of New York/New Jersey.
“After last week’s win, I received a call from his agent saying that his appearance fee would be doubled (from 10,000 to 20,000). We are a small, family-run company, so $20,000 for two hours is a bit high. ,” Coniglio wrote.
Coniglio concluded his post by emphasizing that DeVito and Stellato broke their contracts.
“We are Italians too and we don’t like it when someone says one thing and does another,” Coniglio wrote.
Stellato responded to Coniglio with a statement to Lovell that the two never signed a contract.
“It’s unfortunate that the restaurant advertised that they were bringing Tommy in even though he hadn’t signed the contract.” Stellato said, according to Lovell. “We didn’t increase the price because nothing was agreed upon.”
Mr. Coniglio then responded to Mr. Stellato’s rebuttal with a screenshot of his own statement to Mr. Lovell and a text message showing that he agreed to the terms Mr. Stellato had mentioned.
This is not the end.
Coniglio’s owner, Nino Coniglio, signs DeVito.
“We basically agreed to two hours, 250 autographs and $10,000, but then I lost contact with my agent. After Monday’s game, he contacted me and the price was $20,000. I told him.”
Contract… https://t.co/fBOFYqiIBi pic.twitter.com/JhZFBeAYSe
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) December 18, 2023
It was all a monumental upset that threatened to ruin DeVito’s rise from unknown undrafted rookie to championship quarterback for the New York Giants.
In the end, DeVito was able to meet his fans and enjoy a delicious lunch with his reputation intact. And Coniglio received a much larger promotion than he had bargained for at a deep discount. It seems like everyone made it to the top.