TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Florida State will investigate allegations that football players might have been paid for autographs and football-related items through a booster-owned business, a school spokeswoman said Friday.

The allegations were first made by an attorney representing former Seminoles quarterback Adrian McPherson on misdemeanor gambling and felony theft charges in Tallahassee.

``We have learned that a number of players exchanged football-related paraphernalia, autographs ... those items were exchanged at R&R trucking, for money, services, whatever,'' St. Petersburg attorney Grady Irvin Jr. said Friday. ``My investigation resulted in a finding that it was not uncommon for a number of athletes to frequent R&R trucking, including a number of star athletes.''

The school is already investigating Irvin's charges, spokeswoman Browning Brooks said Friday.

``We're following up on it,'' she said. ``The university will continue to perform due diligence and follow up on new information that comes forward.''

While Irvin provided no evidence about the sale of autographed items, the Orlando Sentinel discovered a connection between R&R and two Florida State 2002 Atlantic Coast Conference football championship rings recently sold on the internet auction site eBay.

Brian and Reagan Hobbs, sons of prominent Seminoles booster Ronald Hobbs, serve as corporate officers for R&R.

The Hobbs brothers and their father also are officers for a Tallahassee-based business named Collector's Attic, Inc. That business has generated more than $2,600 by selling two ACC title rings over the past two weeks on eBay.

At least one of those rings belonged to a current Florida State player, defensive end Willie Jones Jr. The identity of the other ring's owner is not known.

Jones' ring sold for $1,499.99, while the second went for $1,099.95. The newspaper identified the buyer as Patrick O'Greysik of Edmonton, Alberta.

NCAA regulations do not prohibit student-athletes from selling rings as long as they receive no more than fair market value. According to the eBay ads, each ring is 10-carat white gold and features 22 cubic zirconias. Each ring bears a player's last name and jersey number, but they are intentionally obscured in their photos on eBay.

R&R is at the center of one of several charges McPherson is facing.

Police have charged the former quarterback with profiting from a blank check that was stolen from R&R and later cashed for $3,500.