If you thought the rise of weekly fantasy sports league sites would soften the NFL’s hysterical stance on gambling, you’d better guess again.
Last week the League shut down a National Fantasy Football Convention that was set to take place in (gasp!) the Sands Expo, a convention center that’s owned by a casino.
Yes, you read that correctly. That is how puritanical the League has become and Tony Romo, the big name behind the convention, is not happy about the situation.
Romo, and a host of other big time NFL stars, were all set to discuss fantasy football with their fans in Vegas until the League threatened action any player who participated because of the casino connection.
In a statement to the press, Romo sounded off about why, exactly, he thought the NFL stepped in on his event saying:
The NFL never called me or my agency or the NFFC. They just went about the process of communicating to the players and the NFLPA. I think when that takes shape I think you understand that the NFL was really trying to not necessarily cancel the event. I think more than that they were trying to probably persuade people not to attend the event.
He also said he thought the move was, “mostly about money,”…and he’s probably right.
The NFL has inked sponsorship deals with DFS sites and really doesn’t seem too keen on having its players get in on the action. That, however, did not stop Mr. Romo. He’s rescheduled the event to take place in Los Angeles, far from the temptations of Sin City.
Lest you think that Romo is just another whiny athlete, he’s not. In fact, Romo has given the League as much blood and sweat as anyone you can imagine. Remember, this is the same guy who punctured a lung in the first half of a game back in 2011 and finished out the game.