Around 100 players and two dozen team employees are being fined for flipping their Super Bowl 59 tickets for more than face value, according to a source who spoke with the Associated Press. And the league is not messing around.
Players caught reselling their tickets will be fined 1.5 times what they originally paid, and as an added penalty, they’ll be banned from buying Super Bowl tickets for the next two years — unless they’re actually playing in the game.
Team employees who violated the same policy are facing even steeper consequences: a fine of double the face value of the ticket.
This all came to light through a league-wide memo sent by NFL head of compliance Sabrina Perel, who noted that the investigation is still ongoing. She confirmed that both players and coaches from multiple teams sold their Super Bowl tickets to third parties — known as “bundlers” — who worked with resellers to jack up prices for a profit.
The memo explained that this kind of resale is a direct violation of long-standing league policy, which is clearly laid out in the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. Employees and players are explicitly barred from selling tickets they received from their team or the league for more than they paid — or more than face value, whichever is lower.
And those mysterious “bundlers” who helped broker the inflated ticket sales? The league says they’ll be hit with even harsher penalties.
Every NFL player is entitled to purchase two Super Bowl tickets each year. But after this scandal, the league says they’ll be rolling out mandatory enhanced compliance training for all personnel. The message going forward: if you’re part of the NFL, you’re not allowed to profit off your position at the expense of the fans.
Expect tougher punishments, clearer rules, and more oversight when Super Bowl 60 rolls around.
For the record, the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in this year’s big game — a high-stakes rematch from their showdown two years ago. But now, off the field, it’s the resellers who are facing the heat.
Fire em all! Let em go get real jobs!
Like they don’t make enough money already?