Darren's Rovell take on PWCC, etc.

[70ToppsFanatic]

Many are working themselves up into a “sky-is-falling” mentality over this that is way beyond anything that has been established as fact so far.

It appears that some altered cards have found their way into slabs. That is based on some reasonably done investigative work, but it is not quite without some gaps and some assumptions that still need to be confirmed. Having the business records of The TPGs, PWCC, eBay and the major auction houses would go a long way to helping to complete the work done so far. However, unless legal authorities get involved I tend to doubt that the stakeholders mentioned would be willing to voluntary turn over that information.

Whether ornnit legal authorities are getting involved remains to be seen. There are media accounts that the FBI is looking into things. If true, that is hopeful news. In the meantime we’ve had conpletely unsubstantiated speculations about thousands and thousands of bad cards, CEOs dumping stock, TPG complicity and various other hyperbole that comes from various constituencies who have different interests in how this whole thing pans out and are trying to create spin and groundswell favoring the outcomes they most desire.

What is clear is that there are accusations and concerns about integrity issues in the hobby. Some stakeholders have gotten out in front of it with their communications about it. Others have not done quite as good a job, further fueling speculation and shaking confidence.

What is needed more than anything is patience and time to sort out what has and what has not actually happened. But there have to also be limits to that patience. This cannot be allowed to drag on endlessly, only to end up swept under a rug until the next episode that results in a flare up arrives.

It is the responsibility of the major stakeholders to get to the bottom of things in a timely manner and then transparently let the hobby know what they have found and what they plan to do to address it and prevent similar episodes again in the future.

A few months time seems woefully insufficient for getting that done, but I would expect that it shouldn’t take more than the time that has elapsed already for some concrete information to be provided.

As for those who continue to create suspicion and doubt through unsubstantiated claims and speculation, that only defects from getting to the bottom of exactly what is and fuels an unhelpful, and potentially damaging, mob mentality.

Stick to the facts. Respectfully reach out to the major stakeholders and ask them what they are doing about the current situation and when they are willing to commit to providing a transparent update on where they are in investigating and addressing it. Avoid going down the path of conspiracy theories and character assasination based on comments that are not backed up by hard evidence. That is truly what is in the best interests of the hobby and the many small stakeholders who are legitimately concerned about the present situation.