A Tony Romo-backed company that is suing the NFL over allegedly interfering with a scuttled fantasy football convention in Las Vegas pointed out in court papers yesterday that the league had no issues with Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski’s highly publicized cruise on a ship with a casino this past weekend. The planned first annual National Fantasy Football Convention (NFFC) was cancelled last summer after the NFL warned players and NFL media personalities planning to participate that it would violate league gambling rules. The NFFC, which Romo formed with others in early ‘15, sued the league in state court in Dallas.
Among the arguments NFFC added in its amended complaint is the league’s “hypocrisy” in their stance toward the convention compared to the Gronkowski cruise. “Gronkowski hosted a party cruise from Miami to the Bahamas on February 19-22, 2016,” the complaint said. “The four-day party took place on Norwegian Cruise Line, where Gronkowski’s fans and attendees can take full advantage of Norwegian’s famed 'Casinos at Sea.' Photos from the booze-cruise show fans gambling at the on-board casino. The NFL specifically knew about the party cruise and its ties to gambling for more than seven months leading up to the event; yet the NFL took no action to either discipline Rob Gronkowski or prevent the event from taking place.”
The league is seeking to have the lawsuit dismissed. A jury trial is currently scheduled for July 27.
