In January, the attorneys at BFV Law wrote about The Evolution and Impact of Sports Betting in the United States in the context of Super Bowl LIX. The attorneys at BFV have broad experience helping clients navigate investigations, including gambling and ticketing-related investigations by the NFL and other leagues.
Just this week, news media outlets reported that the NFL will fine more than 100 players, coaches, and club employees for reselling Super Bowl LIX tickets at a profit in violation of the NFL’s Ticket Resale policy according to an internal memo from the league’s chief compliance officer, Sabrina Perel. Sources told CNBC an investigation found that players and personnel were selling Super Bowl tickets to resale “bundlers” at a profit, according to the memo. “No one should profit personally from their NFL affiliation at the expense of our fans,” Perel wrote.
Alleged violators will be fined 1.5-2 times the face value of the tickets they resold, with harsher penalties for non-player personnel and violators who worked directly with ticket “bundlers,” and the league is taking steps to enhance compliance training ahead of Super Bowl LX. Offenders will also lose their ticket allotments for the next two Super Bowls.
The NFL is broadcasting that it will increase penalties for future offenses and that players who challenge the NFL’s punishment are subject to additional penalties. League sources have reportedly declined to publish a list of alleged offenders.
The penalties may seem relatively minor for well-compensated players and league personnel; however, if experience is any guide, the NFL almost certainly will require some level of cooperation and/or admissions of guilt, which could have future ramifications for affected personnel, including harsher discipline for a repeat offender.
As in any employment context, interested parties should retain their own independent legal counsel to deal with alleged policy violations. What may appear to be a minor issue could have serious employment consequences. For well-compensated NFL players and personnel, the table stakes are just (generally speaking) that much higher.
Kenneth Winkler, a shareholder at Berman Fink Van Horn, helps employers navigate the employment laws and regulations that govern the workplace.
Brett focuses his practice on private business litigation and “white-collar” representative matters for corporate clients and their executives when the federal government is involved.
