NFL
Will there be a new “Sunday Ticket” trial?
A jury in the NFL’s “Sunday Ticket” trial found the league guilty of violating antitrust laws, but now the judge says the jury didn’t follow instructions.
The NFL was taken to court for violating antitrust laws when they sold Sunday Ticket package at an inflated price and on June 27, a jury found them guilty. The jury was made up of five men and three women who found the league to be liable for $4,610,331,671.74 in damages to home subscribers and $96,928,272.90 to business subscribers who paid for the packages from 2011-2022. The trial saw NFL commissioner Roger Gooddell and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones among those to testify for the league.
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The league released this statement: “Today we asked the district court to set aside the jury’s verdict in this case, which is contrary to the law and unsupported by the evidence presented at trial. The NFL’s media distribution model is the most fan friendly in sports, with all games broadcast locally on free over-the-air television in addition to many other choices available to fans who want even more access to NFL content. We will continue to pursue all avenues in defense of the claims brought in this case.”
Judge in “Sunday Ticket” trial says jury didn’t follow directions
After hearing the NFL’s post-trial motion asking to rule for the league if the judge finds the plaintiffs did not prove their case, U.S. District Judge Philip Gutierrez said that the jury did not follow instructions when calculating the damages to be awarded. In the instructions, Gutierrez stated that “damages may not be based on guesswork or speculation. Plaintiffs must prove the reasonableness of each of the assumptions upon which the damages calculation is based.”
It is possible that Gutierrez could order a new trial. In that case, the NFL would have to defend itself a second time in front of a different jury. However, according to AP News, there is no timeline for when he might rule on the motion.
The lawsuit covered 2.4 million residential subscribers and 48,000 businesses in the United States. In addition to the claim that the package was sold at an inflated price, it also said that the NFL restricted competition by only offering the package on a satellite provider. Currently, the Sunday Ticket is available on YouTube, allowing for more potential subscribers to have access.
Now it’s a matter of waiting to see what Judge Gutierrez rules whether or not the NFL will be responsible for the $4.7 billion in damages.