Scandal Plagued Grant Telford Is Back At Whatnot

Remember that big scandal involving Grant Telford? Remember everyone saying they would be boycotting him and Backyard Breaks? Well, guess what? It didn’t happen.

Now he is back on Whatnot, and the company is as popular as ever. Telford’s return wasn’t met with the wall of silence everyone predicted.

Instead, it was greeted with a shrug and a “well, what can you do?” attitude that has become the hallmark of this hobby.

We have the full story on the return of Grant Telford.

The return of Grant Telford from scandal to Whatnot

There was no grand announcement of Grant Telford’s return to the Whatnot streams of Backyard Breaks.

Instead, he was put back in the rotation for what was a soft launch. As you may remember, Whatnot suspended Telford back in.

Telford is live on the Backyard Buzz Whatnot account, which appears to be the channel rebranded from the Backyard Grant account.

Whatnot had suspended the Backyard Grant account for violating its community guidelines. The streaming company reportedly took action by temporarily suspending his account.

This suspension meant that Telford was unable to stream on the platform. However, Whatnot has not taken further action to remove or suspend Backyard Breaks’ ability to stream on the platform.

Some sources indicate that Whatnot was closing complaints against Backyard Breaks without taking action beyond Telford’s suspension.

It’s important to note that while Telford’s account was reportedly suspended, Backyard Breaks, as a company, was not banned from the platform. They continued to stream, albeit with other hosts. It’s also worth noting that Telford has since returned to streaming.

When he came back, he was using various forms of positivity jargon. They seem designed to frame his comeback as a personal growth narrative.

One specific quote mentioned was: “You guys drove me to be a better person, and I appreciate you.”

During the break, he also yelled at one point, “I am talking about positivity. I am talking about changing people’s lives for the better.”

PR firms sometimes coach people to talk about a collective journey of improvement, rather than addressing the specific nature of acts that got someone in trouble.

Who is Grant Telford?

Grant Telford, a name now synonymous with high-stakes breaks and a bit of hobby drama, didn’t just materialize out of thin air.

Before the Whatnot streams and the CMO title, a kid in Boca Raton, Florida, juggled football pads and a lacrosse stick at West Boca Raton High. You can almost picture him, a South Florida kid with that relentless hustle, laying the groundwork for the entrepreneurial hustle that would later define his career.

It’s a reminder that everyone starts somewhere, even those who end up in the eye of the storm.

Grant Telford, alongside co-founder Nick Telford, established Backyard Breaks as a prominent player in the online sports card and memorabilia breaking scene. Recognizing the growing interest in the hobby and the potential of live-streaming platforms, they built a business model that allows enthusiasts to participate in high-stakes card breaks remotely.

Serving as the Chief Marketing Officer, Grant played a key role in shaping the company’s brand and online presence, leveraging social media and live-streaming to cultivate a dedicated community of collectors.

Backyard Breaks quickly gained traction through strategic partnerships and innovative marketing initiatives, becoming one of the largest breakers on platforms like Whatnot.

Telford’s role as a “breaker” and his marketing acumen allowed him to connect with collectors personally, fostering a sense of community and excitement around the hobby. This emphasis on community engagement and accessibility helped Backyard Breaks stand out in a competitive market, contributing to its rapid growth and commercial success.

The many scandals of of Backyard Breaks

Backyard Breaks hasn’t been a stranger to controversy, even before the recent incident. Cardlines has covered a number of their missteps over the years.

One of the most notable cases involved a Trevor Lawrence Gold Kaboom! card. It was pulled during one of their breaks, but allegedly, Backyard Breaks kept the card instead of awarding it to the rightful owner.

This sparked outrage and accusations of theft within the collecting community. There have also been repeated allegations of Backyard Breaks withholding other high-value cards rightfully owned by those who bought into their breaks.

Adding fuel to the fire, there have been claims that Backyard Breaks received loaded boxes from Panini, giving them an unfair advantage in pulling valuable hits. The improbable odds of their success have led many to suspect insider access and preferential treatment.

In another incident, an employee of Backyard Breaks was caught stealing cards from the company, highlighting a potential lack of oversight and raising questions about the company’s internal culture.

While these other scandals mainly revolved around questionable business practices and alleged card mishandling, the recent controversy involving Grant Telford’s comments crossed a different line, raising concerns about social morals and the company’s overall values.

That is why we have often said breaking with Backyard Breaks is not a good idea. The best place to do your breaking is here at Cardlines! But seriously, just about any place is better.

They have a long history of dishonest moves, withholding cards, and unethical behavior. We are not saying they are bad people or anything like that; we are just saying that there are more trustworthy hands for your hard-earned money.

The Grant Telford Scandal

Grant Telford, Chief Marketing Officer and co-founder of Backyard Breaks, made sexually suggestive and inappropriate comments regarding minors during a livestream on Whatnot.

The comments referenced acts that Telford stated he would want to perform with his daughter if he had one. Telford apologized, and Backyard Breaks released a statement saying they were reviewing their streaming practices. However, the company disabled comments on Telford’s apology post.

The incident is alleged to have violated Whatnot’s community guidelines prohibiting content that endangers the safety and well-being of minors. This generated significant criticism and calls for Backyard Breaks to be banned from Whatnot, resulting in an online petition with over 4,000 signatures.

Whatnot reportedly temporarily disabled Grant Telford’s account but has not taken further action against Backyard Breaks. This incident is considered more serious than previous controversies due to the nature of the comments and their potential impact on the hobby’s reputation.

Telford apologized then, writing, “I sincerely apologize for my comments on my stream Tuesday.

My words and actions were completely inappropriate, and to say I crossed the line is an understatement. There’s no excuse for what I said,” he wrote.

“An apology alone isn’t enough. I will be taking some time off and stepping away from the Backyard to reflect on my actions, and I will be seeking help to hold myself accountable moving forward. I need to be better, plain and simple. I need to be more aware of my words and actions, and that my words reach many people. To the community in my stream every day, you know my heart – this is not who I am. To those I’ve disappointed – I hear you, I understand your frustration, and I am truly sorry. I offer my deepest apologies to everyone, including those hurt or offended by my comments.”

How Whatnot handled the Grant Telford scandal

The company handled this very gingerly, because Backyard Breaks is an essential part of their business model.

Backyard Breaks is critically crucial to Whatnot’s business model. Greycroft’s analysis shows that Backyard Breaks has grown to a community of 166,000 followers and sold over 300,000 items.

In a previous article, I noted that Whatnot “cannot operate without any of their top breakers’ revenue.”This significance is why many believe that Whatnot has been hesitant to take serious action against Backyard Breaks, despite the controversial incidents.

But even that is not a satisfying explanation for this. Whatnot has enough leverage to say to the company that they refuse to keep platforming them and that the company must keep Telford off their breaks. They certainly had the leverage to do so when the scandal first broke.

The rest of the hobby also did not cover itself in glory in this regard. Jeff Wilson posted:

“The hobby is asking me to ‘cut ties’ with Backyard Breaks. I have no ties. I’ve never done business with them or featured them in my content. Nor will I. I think Whatnot should suspend them, especially since the owner of Backyard Breaks was the one who made the comments. I have shared my thoughts with Whatnot. Whatnot has review processes for these situations. They’ve handled other situations in the past appropriately, even when it involves their biggest streamers (see Blake’s Breaks for example). Let’s put down the pitchforks for just a moment and let the process play out.”

The reactions to the return of Grant Telford

The truth is, there has been very little pushback.

Some of the folks who have good YouTube channels have made some videos about this. But mostly people have just gone back to watching Grant on Whatnot and buying into breaks.

The entertainment value he provides and that Backyard Breaks provide more generally are a more powerful motivator than moral outrage.

So, even though you can still find plenty of comments on social media calling for a boycott of Telford and his company, the actual impact on their popularity appears minimal, just like after every one of their previous scandals. A lot of the people who said they would not return to Backyard Breaks ultimately did.

Dan the Card Man minced no words and said that “the scumbag Grant Telford has made his much maligned return to selling on Whatnot for Backyard Breaks and its really disappointing to see, if I am being frank with you.”

But people like Dan are sadly few and far between.

Previous Whatnot scandals

Whatnot has been plagued by a series of controversies that have raised serious questions about the platform’s integrity and oversight.

Perhaps the most notable scandal involved former NFL player Blake Martinez, who was permanently banned after allegations of a $11 million Pokémon card scam, highlighting the platform’s vulnerability to high-profile manipulation.

Simultaneously, multiple sellers have been accused of engaging in fraudulent activities, including bait-and-switch tactics and selling resealed packs.

The Better Business Bureau has been inundated with complaints suggesting that Whatnot is often complicit in these schemes, either by failing to adequately vet sellers or not taking sufficient action against those violating the platform’s terms of service.

The platform’s issues extend beyond individual seller misconduct to systemic problems with breach integrity and community standards.

Numerous YouTube videos and Reddit threads have documented widespread scamming attempts, with some breakers allegedly manipulating live breaks by ending streams abruptly after rare card pulls or engaging in deceptive bidding practices.

This pattern of behavior suggests a deeper cultural problem within the platform, where the pursuit of profit consistently outweighs ethical considerations.

While Whatnot has implemented some measures to address these issues, such as seller vetting and a trust and safety policy, many in the collecting community remain skeptical about the platform’s commitment to genuine reform, viewing many of their actions as reactive rather than proactive.

Final word on the Grand Telford scandal

Many people say that what Telford noted is not a big deal and that we should have a sense of humor. But the point isn’t if you think what he said is funny (it isn’t).

Rather, he should not say this on such a large platform with children watching. Ultimately, it is up to the consumers to decide if this is what they want, and they have overwhelmingly agreed that it is.

The controversy that was supposed to end Backyard Breaks? It’s become just another footnote.

The same people calling for Telford’s head are now back in the breaks, watching, bidding, and feeding the machine they claimed to despise. It’s a cycle as predictable as the card market itself – loud condemnation followed by quiet capitulation.