NFL wideout Pierre Garçon sues FanDuel for ‘misappropriating’ name, likeness

A National Football League player has launched a class action suit against daily fantasy sports operator FanDuel, accusing the site of profiting off himself and other NFL players without compensating them in return.

On Friday, Washington Redskins wide receiver Pierre Garçon filed suit in Maryland, accusing FanDuel of having “misappropriated” the names and likenesses of “offensive skilled position” players. Garçon says FanDuel “knowingly and improperly exploits the popularity” of NFL players, who he’s invited to join his class action.

Garçon’s suit makes no mention of the other major DFS operator, DraftKings, presumably because the NFL Players Association struck a marketing partnership with DraftKings in September that permitted the use of NFL player images.

Interestingly, Garçon was actively shilling for FanDuel last year via his personal Twitter account, offering the chance to win free tickets to Redskins games for players who signed up for the DFS site. Garçon’s personal involvement predated the team partnership the Skins signed with FanDuel last November.