Pierre Garçon is charging FanDuel with illegal procedure.
The Washington Redskins receiver contends that the fantasy sports site uses his likeness and those of other NFL stars for commercial purposes without their permission, according to a suit filed on Friday by Garçon with the U.S. District Court in Maryland.
FanDuel makes millions of dollars using players’ images without compensating them, contends Garçon, who says that violates the players’ rights to publicity.
“FanDuel continues to promote and operate its daily fantasy football contests on the backs of NFL players, whose popularity and performance make the defendant commercial daily fantasy football contest possible,” Garçon alleged in court papers.
The suit adds to the controversy over sites such as FanDuel and
DraftKings, which allow contestants to assemble rosters of NFL players and compete for cash prizes based on the performance of their teams.
A class action lawsuit filed by attorneys for Redskins WR Pierre Garçon (on behalf of all NFL players) vs FanDuel. pic.twitter.com/mUVXLANGve
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) October 30, 2015
Though critics charge fantasy sites with hosting illegal gambling, the sites operate pursuant to a federal law passed in 2006 that authorizes simulated sports games that pay out based on the “relative knowledge and skill” of participants.
FanDuel garnered $57 million in revenue and paid out $2 billion in prizes last year, Garçon charges.
For its part, FanDuel says the suit lacks merit, citing the federal statute.
FanDuel counts the NBA and NBC Sports among its investors. Major League Baseball owns part of DraftKings. In a letter released Thursday, FanDuel’s CEO wrote that the company would back “sensible regulation.”
DraftKings and the NFL Players Association struck a deal in September that allows that site to use some of the league’s top-rated players in marketing efforts