Saquon Barkley says NFL rules forced him to divest Polymarket stake
The Eagles running back says he left his investment in the prediction-market company after the NFL barred players from investing in or promoting such businesses.
Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley said he had to divest his stake in prediction-market company Polymarket under NFL rules, ESPN reported on October 28, attributing his account to an interview with Front Office Sports. The rule matters to players who invest in or promote such companies: the NFL confirmed that its prohibition covers prediction markets as well as sportsbooks.
‘I am not in that right now,’ Barkley told Front Office Sports of his Polymarket investment. ‘I am not allowed to be in that.’ He said the NFL tells players before each season what they can endorse and invest in, and that he had to leave the investment after prediction markets came under the restriction. The date of his divestment was not established.
What the NFL rule means for players
The NFL confirmed to Front Office Sports on October 28 that players cannot invest in or promote sportsbooks and prediction markets. It declined to comment on Barkley’s specific situation, leaving unclear whether it formally determined that his stake violated the policy. Polymarket also declined to comment.
An NFL Players Association spokesperson told Front Office Sports in January that the league views prediction markets as gambling entities under its gambling policy. Players therefore cannot endorse or act as brand ambassadors for companies such as Polymarket or Kalshi, the spokesperson said. A person familiar with the policy had separately told the outlet that the restrictions on sportsbook promotion and investment extended to prediction markets.
How the NFL’s approach compares with other leagues
The NFL has official sports-betting partners in DraftKings, FanDuel and Fanatics, Front Office Sports reported, but has kept its distance from prediction-market partnerships. The NBA announced Kalshi and Polymarket as preferred prediction-market partners this week, although that agreement does not cover the WNBA. Major League Baseball reached an exclusive Polymarket deal in March, and Major League Soccer announced an agreement with the company in January.
The players association announced a DraftKings licensing partnership in 2015, when DraftKings operated as a daily fantasy sports company. The NFL has since argued that sports-event contracts offered by prediction markets should be subject to state gambling regulation. ESPN reported that the league asked the US Supreme Court this month to review the regulatory question; a league source told ESPN it wanted clarity quickly and would accept a federal framework with protections equivalent to those provided by states.
Read in depth: Sports
Lamar Jackson practices fully as Ravens assess his return for Bills game
The quarterback’s full participation on Wednesday gave Baltimore reason for optimism, but coach Jesse Minter said the team would assess how he responds before Sunday’s game in...
Boston University study estimates CTE in nearly 75% of deceased former NFL players
Researchers adjusted brain donation findings to estimate CTE among former NFL players who died from 2008 to 2023. The figure does not measure the condition among living players.
Sources and context
- Eagles star Saquon Barkley says he was forced to divest Polymarket equity stakeESPN (Tim McManus; ESPN attributes Barkley’s interview to Front Office Sports and separately reports league-source context)
- NFL Told Saquon Barkley to Divest Polymarket StakeFront Office Sports (Ben Horney and Daniel Roberts)
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.