NFL admits appeal bond for $14.1 billion judgment in Sunday Ticket case will hurt, badly

The NFL intends to vigorously contest the Sunday Ticket verdict in court. At some point, the NFL will be required to post an appeal bond.

The league hopes to delay the process or avoid it altogether.

Via Ben Fischer of Sports Business Journal, the NFL submitted court papers this week admitting that the requirement of posting a $14.1 billion appeal bond will entail “potential difficulty,” along with “actual prejudice” that “cannot be overstated.”

The league argued that the premium for the appeal bond itself “would be significantly prejudicial.”

The NFL could ultimately prevail in the case. That won’t result in a refund for the cost of the appeal bond.

The league’s plea came in response to efforts by the plaintiffs to have the $4.7 billion verdict entered as a formal judgment, while would automatically be tripled under federal antitrust law.

Even without interest and attorneys’ fees, each team will have to come up with more than $440 million in cash. Some teams, as we’ve explained, will have a hard time doing that.

The league has asked the presiding judge to overturn the verdict or to reduce it to $1. The court will consider the NFL’s motion for judgment as a matter of law on July 31.