NFL Pros Blocked from Poker Event

NFL Pros Blocked from Poker Event

Wednesday, 10 June 2015

If any evidence was needed that poker still exists on the peripheries of mainstream culture in the US, then the latest move by the NFL recently provided it.

After a group of NFL players, including star tight end Jordan Cameron, agreed to play in a charity poker tournament in Florida on behalf of TV host Andy Slater, the NFL decided to stop in and put a stop to the action.

According to a report on celebrity gossip website TMZ, the players were forced to contact Andy Slater and the Seminole Casino in Coconut Creek, Florida, just hours before the start of the tournament and announce they weren't able to play.

"The players told me they were advised they couldn't play," Andy Slater told TMZ Sports.
It was hoped that the group of players, along with a $6,400 prizepool, would bring out the masses and make the tournament a success. However, the intervention of NFL officials meant the event was without three recognisable faces.

In a statement to Slater, the league explained that it is against its policy for a player to take part in any public event held inside a casino.

"There is a long standing policy that prohibits players -- or any league personnel --from appearing at an event in a casino," said an NFL official.

The news certainly didn't sit well with Slater or the players that had pre-registered with the hopes of meeting the players. The NFL's disassociation with casinos is somewhat surprising give that a number of teams in the league have partnerships with daily fantasy sports outfits (which essentially offer sports betting) such as DraftKings.

However, what it does seem to show is that poker, moreover casinos, are still viewed with a tinge of uncertainty by certain major organisations.



Tags: NFL, America