In Las Vegas, Nevada, John E. Williams III, a longtime San Francisco 49ers fan, has slapped a $50 million lawsuit against the NFL for "economic discrimination". The suit was filed after Williams discovered that the Seattle Seahawks limited its ticket sales only to consumers who reside in the states of Hawaii, Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Alaska and Montana. British Columbia and Alberta fans were also allowed to purchase for January 2014's game.
According to ESPN, the fan said that the NFL was guilty of economic discrimination due to an unlawful ticket policy. The policy limited credit card sales to only a number of pro-Seattle customers. He said that 49ers fans would not be able purchase tickets to the awaited 49ers-Seahawks game if their credit cards weren't issued in the said U.S. states and Canadian provinces. He says such was favorable only to fans of current champions Seattle Seahawks. Williams shared that the NFL should not deny tickets to taxpayers just because they reside in a different area or is a fan of a certain NFL team.
Williams said that he suffered economic discrimination by being denied an attempt to purchase tickets. The NFL failed to accommodate him in lieu of the limitations set on the areas that were allowed to purchase via credit card. He even questioned why the Canadian states were preferred over other American states. The $50 million total was comprised of $40 million in real damages and $10 in punitive damages.
Williams said, "They're always boasting up there about their 12th player and everything else. But by allowing the NFL to decide who can or cannot attend the games, you make it an unfair game. Seattle fixed it." He further cited, "The practice of withholding the sale of tickets from the public at large and allowing only credit card holders limited to certain areas is a violation of the Federal Consumer Fraud Act and/or common law."
Brian McCarthy, vice president of communications of the NFL, did not comment on the issue, writes NPR.
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