Appeals court reverses rejection of damages award against NFL in Sunday Ticket class action

This is the kind of Friday afternoon bad news dump that counts as horrible news for the NFL.

Via Mike Scarcella of Reuters, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has reinstated the $4.7 billion verdict in the Sunday Ticket class action.

The Reuters article, however, apparently has misread the decision. Mark Maske of Front Office Sports characterizes the outcome as ordering a new trial on damages .

"The jury clearly awarded damages based on its improper consideration of the evidence rather than according to the district court's instructions," the Ninth Circuit wrote. "This warrants a new trial on damages. We remand this case for the district court to reinstate the jury's liability verdict and hold a new damages trial."

A new trial on damages could result in a lower (or similar or, in theory, higher) final verdict.

The original award, given by a jury in July 2024, was scrapped by the presiding judge over concerns regarding the evidence the plaintiffs presented of economic harm. The judge did not throw out the finding that the NFL had violated federal antitrust laws in the pricing of the Sunday Ticket package.

If/when any verdict becomes an official judgment, the damages will be tripled.

The original verdict sent shock waves through the league, since it ultimately would require each team to come up with $440 million in cash. Statutory interest will push that number even higher.

The NFL undoubtedly will appeal the final decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, which would first have to decide whether to accept the case before issuing a decision. The case possibly would not be ripe for an appeal to the Supreme Court until a new trial on damages happens — if that's what the Ninth Circuit has indeed ordered.

Whatever happens next, the situation instantly becomes the most consequential piece of litigation in the 100-plus-year history of the league.