At least 100 NFL players, as well as coaches and staff from around half of the 32 teams, have been accused of violating league rules by selling their Super Bowl tickets for above face-value.
That is according to a report Friday, which said an NFL investigation found that some employees and players flogged their tickets to a ‘small number of “bundlers”‘ who were working with a reseller to sell them for inflated fees.
All NFL players are allowed to buy two tickets at face-value. This year, when the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Kansas in New Orleans, prices reportedly ranged from $950 to $7,500. On resale sites, however, some tickets were going for more than $10,000.
ESPN claims the players face a possible fine and could be suspended if they refuse to pay. They will also lose the right to their allotted tickets to the next two Super Bowls. Unless they are playing in the game, in which case they will have the opportunity to buy seats.
No specific players, coaches or teams who violated the policy were named but some people have already shelled out, to avoid missing playing time, according to ESPN.
Players violating the agreement between the league and the NFL Players Association around the re-sale of Super Bowl tickets are reportedly subject to penalties including fines of one-and-a-half-times the face value of the tickets.
At least 100 NFL players are accused of selling their Super Bowl tickets for above face-value
Anyone who declines their punishment could be suspended by commissioner Roger Goodell
Other team employees who violated the policy will reportedly be fined two times the face value of the tickets.
According to reports, those players and employees who had a ‘greater role’ – by working directly with the ‘bundlers’, for instance – ‘will face increased penalties’
‘Our initial investigation has determined that a number of NFL players and coaches, employed by several NFL Clubs, sold Super Bowl tickets for more than the ticket’s face value in violation of the policy,” read a memo, sent to teams by the NFL – and cited by ESPN.
‘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 ticket’s face value or for an amount greater than the employee originally paid for the ticket, whichever is less.’
