Fan Expo LLC filed the suit in Dallas, accusing the NFL of illegally interfering with the event, which was a partnership between Romo and a Dallas entrepreneur.
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The suit alleges NFL officials called people close to the players, such as spouses and agents, and threatened to fine the players if they attended the convention.
The company behind a canceled fantasy football convention that had been scheduled to take place in Las Vegas earlier this month is suing the NFL after the league allegedly played a role in its cancelation, according to an ESPN.com report.
Although the convention center was owned by Sands, which owns The Venetian and The Palazzo, the expo where the convention was to take place doesn’t have gambling and wasn’t sponsored by a casino.
DeMarco Murray, Romo’s former teammate and the NFL rushing leader who signed with Philadelphia in free agency, also was among the 60 players the lawsuit says had agreed to attend.
The lawsuit said the mother of New York Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was among those warned by the NFL that her son would be punished if he participated.
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The conflict apparently stemmed from the league policy that prohibits players from appearances at a place where gambling takes place. A million dollars means nothing to the NFL, but precedent means everything, and I’m a big fan of anything that makes Roger Goodell and the NFL uncomfortable. Though the article was removed 24 hours later, the league waited to act against the event until June. And while Romo himself couldn’t be there to meet and greet the fans, he did FaceTime with them for about a minute at one point during the event. As we reported… the event was cancelled when the NFL said Tony hosting in a casino would be a violation of league rules. The National Fantasy Football Convention has a new home lined up for 2016 and there’s no casino tie-in, so the NFL shouldn’t have anything to hold over their heads.
