The Pittsburgh Steelers and the other 31 organizations throughout the NFL got bad news earlier in the summer. They would each need to pay a large financial penalty due to a ruling from a jury that found the league in violation of antitrust laws that were in relation to the NFL's Sunday Ticket package. The NFL was set to owe a sum of nearly $14.1 billion due to violating these laws, but recent findings by a judge have reversed the decision of the jury and erased the penalty.
Gene J. Puskar / Associated Press
Steelers' Omar Khan speaks to the media.
This is a sigh of relief for the NFL and its organizations. Owners would have needed to take on a significant financial hit, but now it seems everyone is walking away without a scratch. Legal expert for Sportico, Michael McCann, reported the news of the litigation that took place on Wednesday and Thursday that reversed the jury's original findings.
Wow. Judge grants NFL motion for judgment as a matter of law, meaning judge has ruled for NFL, which a jury found liable and said caused $4.7 billion in damages. Story to come soon on @Sportico (i.e., I'm about to write it). I discussed this possibility: https://t.co/RkMXOYisFZ.
— Michael McCann (@McCannSportsLaw) August 1, 2024
The damages were $4.7 billion, but since this was in violation of antitrust laws, that amount triples. The league now will pay no financial penalty after US District Judge Philip S. Gutierrez ruled that the jury who served on the original case did not have a good understanding of antitrust laws.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter / X: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Steelers President Art Rooney II roams the sidelines prior to a 2022 preseason matchup at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA.
Part of the reason Gutierrez reversed the original ruling was due to the jury being misled by an "expert" testimony. Gutierrez suggested there is no other reason the NFL should be paying these large damages other than the misleading testimony that was heard by the jury. McCann wrote about this in his article on Sportico which discussed the case and the result.
"In a hearing Wednesday, the NFL maintained the jury misunderstood how antitrust law works and fumbled a calculation for damages by confusing an overcharge with a discount. In his ruling, Gutierrez determined that the jury was misled by expert testimony offered by the plaintiffs. The testimony used 'flawed methodologies' that led the jury to mistakenly find 'class-wide injury and damages.' The judge added there is 'no other support' for those findings except for expert testimony that should have been excluded."
It can't be understated how large of a victory this is for the NFL. They now owe nothing. This case began back in 2015 when a sports bar filed a civil lawsuit against the NFL, the case was thrown out in 2017, but was picked up again in 2019.
The original civil lawsuit revolved around the idea that the league deceived its viewers that bought the premium subscription for Sunday Ticket. It was understood that all games would be available, when in reality, games in the area are blacked out because they are on cable. The case is over for the time being, but the ruling can still be appealed.
NFL.com
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell speaks to members of the media.
Steelers Fans Will Still Have To Pay An Expensive Price For Sunday Ticket
Since the NFL won the case, they won't be forced to change how they distribute or market their Sunday Ticket package. It will remain the same, and still be overpriced. For the 2024 season, the cost of Sunday Ticket is $449. There are cheaper student plans available, but most people across the country will need to pay the full price.
It has become expensive to be a fan of the NFL. The league will feature games exclusive to Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Peacock, and ESPN Plus in 2024, and those games aren't available on Sunday Ticket. So, if a fan wants to watch every game, they will also need subscriptions to all of those services.
What do you think about the NFL winning the lawsuit? Let us know in the comments below!
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