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 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 the verdict becomes an official judgment, the damages will be tripled, to $14.1 billion.
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 decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, which first must decide to accept the case before issuing a decision. Whatever happens next, the situation instantly becomes the most consequential piece of litigation in the 100-plus-year history of the league.