The man who school officials said promised at least 17 Anne Arundel County schools visits from Baltimore Ravens’ players but didn’t come through appears to have a history of similar incidents.

As first reported by Severna Park Patch Thursday, the schools involved paid Joseph Gill, owner of Broadneck-based Odyssey Group, LLC, to schedule several players to talk to kids about character building and standing up against bullying.

In 2007, a reporter from WPXI—a Pittsburgh-based news station—spoke with the PTA president of a school in the Bethlehem Center School District in Pennsylvania who said she couldn’t reach Gill after he booked former Pittsburgh Steeler John Banaszak to appear at the school and the player never showed up.

According to the report, Banaszak and Robin Cole, another former Steelers player, both said Gill would book them to speak at schools and never pay for the appearances. The athletes told the TV station that when Gill stopped paying them they stopped appearing. Unbeknownst to them, Gill continued to book them, WPXI reported.

In addition, according to a report in the Northumberland Echo in Heathsville, VA, Wednesday, former New Orleans Saints player Levar Fisher told the newspaper he was unaware Gill had booked him to speak in several schools in the Northern Neck area this week.

Fisher said Gill was his former promoter but he had cut ties with him, according to the report.

According to an Eye on Annapolis report and information from a Patch reader, Gill was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison in 2006.

A Patch search on the Federal Bureau of Prisons website, revealed that a Joseph Gill, who is the same age as the Joseph Gill with a Broadneck address as listed in Maryland Court records, was released from federal prison in Petersburg, VA in October of 2008.

WPXI reported that Gill was sentenced to federal prison in 1997 for mail and bank fraud. After being released, he was later sentenced to federal prison in Petersburg, VA, where he was set to be released in 2008, according to the report.

Maryland court records also show that three civil judgements—one each in Dorchester, Anne Arundel and Queen Anne’s Counties—have been entered against Gill since January of this year. This was first reported by Eye on Annapolis.

Calls from Patch to Joseph Gill were not returned as of press time.

About Odyssey LLC
As reported by Eye on Annapolis, the Better Business Bureau lists Odyssey Group, LLC, as being located at 1423 Sharps Point Road. This Broadneck address is also the address listed for Joseph Gill in Maryland Court Record.

The website for the business appears to have been removed. A Facebook page for the Odyssey Group, lists the same address but does not include information about the owner or any employees.

“Odyssey Group, a privately-owned company headquartered in historic Annapolis, Maryland, has teamed up with athletes and entertainers to provide students grades K-12 with positive, uplifting role models that promote character education, life skills development, and responsible lifestyles,” the page states.

Patch will continue to update this story as more information becomes available.

Editor's Note: Severna Park Patch Editor Leslie Hunt contributed to this report.