Bryce Harper’s Cameo video that FanDuel sent to a gambling addict didn’t breach Major League Baseball’s collective bargaining agreement, Rob Manfred said on Tuesday.
Key Takeaways
- Rob Manfred said MLB is still learning about the video message.
- Harper didn’t encourage betting, which avoided a policy violation.
- The gambling addict is suing FanDuel and other operators.
The MLB commissioner told reporters at the All-Star Game in Philadelphia that the league is still reviewing the November 2024 message from the Phillies star.
“I’m not really certain that I know all of the underlying facts well enough to evaluate the behavior,” Manfred said, according to The Athletic. “The important thing is Bryce’s activity was not a violation of the basic agreement. We made sure about that. We’ll continue to try to figure out exactly how we ended up where we ended up on that.”
Harper released a statement on Monday, saying that he had no knowledge that his message on the video-sharing platform Cameo was going to be used for a gambling promotion by FanDuel.
“I did not know FanDuel would do this, I did not consent to it, and FanDuel had no right to do it,” Harper said in his Instagram post.
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Not a policy breaker
Players are allowed to endorse and promote legal sports betting operators and casinos, according to the MLB gambling policy, but they are prohibited from advocating or encouraging betting on a game. Violating that policy can lead to MLB penalties, including fines, suspension, and permanent ineligibility.
Harper recorded the video for Terry Thompson, a FanDuel VIP who filed a lawsuit against several sports betting companies. Thompson claims that the operators "knowingly and intentionally coerce users into betting large amounts of money by using data to target them with microbets” that turned him into a gambling addict.
Harper said to Thompson that the message was an ask from a FanDuel host, but Harper made no mention of or encouragement to gamble.
Not for commercial use
Thompson says he lost more than $1.5 million to FanDuel, which encouraged him to keep betting and made him a VIP. He received lavish gifts like Super Bowl tickets and the Harper video message wishing Thompson a Happy Thanksgiving.
Harper said he received a Cameo request from a “Bryttanni” that November from a regular account, not a business one. He said he read a script but wouldn’t have if he had known “Terry” was a problem gambler.
“I did not know the Cameo video would be used for a FanDuel VIP promotion, and I have no affiliation with FanDuel whatsoever,” Harper said. “Counsel has directed me not to comment any further at this time.”
