More than 100 NFL Players on the Tightrope for Illegal Super Bowl Ticket Sales
A scandal rocks the NFL. More than a hundred players, belonging to approximately half of the league’s 32 teams, could face fines and even suspensions for allegedly selling their allocated tickets for Super Bowl LIX at prices above their face value, contravening NFL policies. According to sources close to the situation, the investigation revealed that some players and team employees sold tickets to “a small number of ‘aggregators’ who worked with a ticket reseller”. The agreement between the league and the NFL Players Association stipulates that players who violate this rule must pay a fine of one and a half times the value of the ticket and will lose their assigned tickets for the next two Super Bowls. Those who are participating in the game will have the option to purchase seats. In the event that the players reject the sanction, commissioner Roger Goodell could suspend them, according to sources from the league and the union with direct knowledge of the matter. A source from the league indicated that the number of players involved “exceeds 100”, and some have already accepted the fines to avoid missing matches. So far, the identity of the players and employees involved, nor their respective teams, has not been revealed. An NFL memo, sent to all 32 teams and obtained by our contacts, details that the investigation found that employees and players sold tickets to a small group of “aggregators” who collaborated with a ticket reseller. Sanctions will be more severe for those players and employees who have worked directly with the “groupers” or have had “a more significant role”.The league’s policy, incorporated in the Collective Bargaining Agreement, prohibits league and club employees, including players, from selling NFL game tickets acquired from their employer for a price greater than the face value or the original price paid for the ticket, whichever is less. Perel added that the league will intensify mandatory training before Super Bowl LX for all league personnel, with the aim of reinforcing the rules and “the fundamental 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 above face value, in violation of policy.
Sabrina Perel, NFL Compliance Director
