The NFLPA has signed a multiyear deal with sports technology company StatMuse to create an app which will allow fans to hear their favorite NFL players answer questions about scores, stats and more. OneTeam Collective, the NFLPA's business accelerator arm, will receive a minority ownership stake in StatMuse as part of the agreement. The size of the equity stake and other financial details were not disclosed. The app, which can be downloaded on StatMuse's website beginning today, is free, though NFL Players Inc. President Ahmad Nassar said there may be advertising and premium features down the line. Fans can pick a player and ask football questions and the answers will come back in the players' voice. Saints QB Drew Brees, Steelers RB Le'Veon Bell, Falcons RB Devonta Freeman and Dolphins RB Jay Ajayi are joined by former players Peyton Manning, Jerry Rice, Deion Sanders and Terrell Owens, among others. StatMuse spent more than an hour with each player in a studio, recording their voices. Players were paid for their services but will not get a repeating payment for the number of times fans choose them to answer questions, Nassar said. "You, as a user, can ask, 'Hey, who led the Steelers in rushing touchdowns last year?' Le'Veon Bell is going to pop up and answer the questions in his voice with the right data," Nassar said. StatMuse is an AI company specializing in natural language processing that was launched in '14. Investors in the company include The Walt Disney Co., Techstars, Allen & Co. and former NBA Commissioner David Stern. The voice app is just the first product in the NFLPA's partnership with StatMuse, Nassar said. "This is the start of a very broad relationship," he said. "We are a part owner. We are deeply enmeshed with them. We are talking to them regularly about features and products and players in other sports."
