The NFL may have sanctioned the Raiders‘ move to Las vegas, nevada but that doesn’t mean it’s happy for the players to hold out in casinos, even for arm-wrestling contests.
LA Rams‘ Jamon Brown squares off against Tampa Bay Buccaneers‘ Howard Jones during the Pro Football Arm Wrestling Championship at the MGM Grand but are they about to obtain strong-armed by the NFL for engaging in casino promotional activities?
Over 30 players, including Maurkice Pouncey, Mychal Kendricks, Navarro Bowman, Kenny Stills, and Marquette King, could find themselves in hot water for competing in the inaugural ‚Pro Football Arm Wrestling Championship‘ at the MGM Grand over the weekend.
The event ended up being co-hosted by Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison and former running straight back Marshawn Lynch, a made-for-TV deal that is scheduled to be broadcast on CBS on May 27 28.
But according to NFL policy, players are not permitted to ‚promote casino activities,‘ which includes casinos that are attending part of promotional events, unless they look for pre-approval, which, according to the NFL, is really what everyone apparently forgot to complete.
‚Had we been asked ahead of time if this ended up being acceptable, we’d have indicated that it was in direct violation regarding the gambling policy,‘ Joe Lockhart, the NFL’s VP for communications and public affairs, told USA TODAY Sports. ‚No one sought pre-approval.‘