Roger Goodell, NFL “disagree” with Sunday Ticket jury verdict
Last month a Los Angeles jury sided against the NFL in the Sunday Ticket anti-trust suit, but the league looks like they will take this case to appeals court.
It doesn’t look like there is going to be a quick or comfortable end to the the NFL’s anti-trust suit in the “Sunday Ticket” trial. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has vehemently stated that he and the league disagree with the ruling of the Los Angeles jury that sided with fans and businesses that subscribed for the package over a ten year period.
“Long process” awaits
Last month the NFL was ordered to pay commercial class and residential class customers more than $4.7 billion in a class-action lawsuit after deeming that the league broke antitrust laws that forced subscribers to pay for out of market games on Sunday afternoons. That sum could triple to more than $14 billion should it be decided the league broke federal antitrust laws.
“We obviously disagree with the jury verdict and we are committed, obviously, to following the legal process,” Goodell told CNBC on Thursday morning. “It’s a long process and we’re aware of that. But we feel very strongly about our position, our policies, particularly on media.”
There will be a post-trial hearing at the end of this month, and the league plans to ask Judge Phillip Gutierrez to set aside the verdict. If Gutierrez neglects, then the case will be taken to the Ninth Circuit Court, and could potentially be taken all the way to the Supreme Court.
Payments not coming any time soon
Goodell defended his stance and the league, saying “We make our sport available to the broadest possible audience. Sunday Ticket is just a complimentary product. We’re committed to following the litigation all the way and making sure that we get this right.”
At the moment, customers who subscribed to the Sunday Ticket Package from 2011 to the 2022 season could be entitled to a payment of $2,000 for individual subscribers and $1,958 for commercial subscribers such as bars and restaurants. There are a total of 2.4 million households included in the verdict and 48,000 bars and restaurants that fall under the payment umbrella from the NFL.
Those payments, if upheld, could take a while to arrive considering the NFL’s plans to take the case to appeals court. Just to put things in perspective, the NFL brought $13 billion in revenue in 2023, so while the current settlement seems like a massive number it would be just a minor fraction of what the league took in last season.