Judge Dismisses Claims From Former NFLers Over Financial Advisor

By Liz Mullen, Staff Writer, SportsBusiness Journal

An Atlanta federal court judge has dismissed the claims six former NFL players brought against the NFL and NFLPA alleging that the union and the league failed to properly screen late financial advisor Kirk Wright, who defrauded them of millions of dollars. Chief U.S. District Judge Julie Carnes of the Northern District of Georgia granted the motion of the NFL and NFLPA for summary judgment in a case brought by former NFLer Steve Atwater and five other former NFL players. The players alleged in the case filed in '06 that the NFL was negligent in performing background checks on financial advisors in the NFLPA’s Financial Advisor Program and the union failed to properly administer the program. Wright, who hanged himself in his jail cell last year after being convicted of fraud, was approved as an NFLPA financial advisor at least once in '05. But Carnes found that the players' state law claims were pre-empted by federal labor law and an NFLPA disclaimer which states that the union disclaims and is not responsible for the act of any registered player financial advisor.