More than 100 NFL Players Face Sanctions for Illegal Super Bowl Ticket Sales
More than a hundred players from approximately half of the 32 NFL teams are facing fines and possible suspensions for allegedly selling their allocated tickets for this year’s Super Bowl LIX above their face value, in violation of league policies. This was reported by several sources to this sports outlet. According to an agreement between the league and the NFL Players Association, players who violate the rule will be fined one and a half times the value of the ticket and will lose their allocated tickets for the next two Super Bowls. If they are playing in the game, players will have the opportunity to purchase seats. Those who reject the punishment could be suspended by commissioner Roger Goodell, according to league and union sources with direct knowledge of the situation. Sources indicated that the number of players involved was “over 100”, some of whom have already accepted the fines to avoid missing games. A league source declined to identify the players and employees who had sold their Super Bowl tickets or their clubs. According to an NFL memo sent to the 32 teams, an investigation revealed that team employees and players sold tickets to a “small number of ‘aggregators’ who were working with a ticket reseller”. According to reports prior to the February game in New Orleans between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles, ticket prices on secondary sites ranged from $2,588 to almost $3,500 for the cheapest seats, with some tickets reaching over $10,000. Players and employees who worked directly with the aggregators or “in some way had a major role… will face greater sanctions,” according to the memo.“This long-standing league policy, which is specifically incorporated into the Collective Bargaining Agreement, prohibits league or club employees, including players, from selling NFL game tickets acquired from their employer for more than the face value of the ticket or for an amount greater than what the employee originally paid for the ticket, whichever is less.” Perel added that the league will enhance mandatory training before Super Bowl LX for all league personnel to emphasize the rules and “the broader principle that no one should profit personally from their affiliation with the NFL at the expense of our fans”.“Our initial investigation has determined that several NFL players and coaches, employed by various NFL clubs, sold Super Bowl tickets for more than the face value of the ticket in violation of policy,” reads the memo from NFL Compliance Director Sabrina Perel to the teams.
Sabrina Perel, NFL Compliance Director
