Redskins’ Pierre Garcon files lawsuit against FanDuel on behalf of NFL players

It’s not just FanDuel vs. DraftKings. It’s also FanDuel vs. Pierre Garcon of the Washington Redskins.

The Redskins receiver filed a lawsuit Friday in Maryland on behalf of all NFL players against FanDuel, the daily fantasy sports company, according to a release from his attorneys first obtained by Fox Sports.

Garcon’s lawsuit alleges that FanDuel has cashed in on player likenesses and “knowingly and improperly exploits the popularity and performance of Garcon, along with all the other” NFL players without their authority or a valid license.

FanDuel does not have a licensing agreement with the NFL Players Assn. like competitor DraftKings. FanDuel does have a marketing agreement with the Redskins -- in fact there is a “FanDuel fantasy lounge” at FedEx Field as well as other NFL stadiums.

Garcon had tweeted several links promoting FanDuel in the past, which makes his decision to pursue legal action against the company a bit perplexing.

“I am bringing this lawsuit against FanDuel for using my name, image, and likeness in both daily fantasy contests and through advertising on TV ads and infomercials,” Garcon said in the statement Friday. “FanDuel has taken the liberty to engage in these actions without my consent and without proper licensing rights. As a result of these activities, FanDuel daily fantasy contests have shown increasing revenues leading to large profits. Therefore, on behalf of myself as well as any other players who are being treated unjustly, I chose to file a complaint.”

FanDuel and DraftKings were shut down in Nevada after the state’s Gaming Control Board ruled their operations were essentially unlicensed gambling. And both are the subject of Department of Justice and FBI investigations into their business practices, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Authorities in New York and Massachusetts are also investigating both companies’ operations within their borders.

The daily fantasy companies came under heavy scrutiny after a DraftKings employee won $350,000 in a FanDuel contest. That same employee accidentally leaked lineup information for his employer and prompted questions about how much information was available to employees of such companies.

DraftKings and FanDuel subsequently banned their employees from playing in other daily fantasy sports games.

DraftKings employees had won about $6 million playing on FanDuel, according to ESPN’s Darren Rovell. DraftKings has an advertising deal with ESPN worth more than $250 million over two years.

Daily fantasy entry fees are expected to rise to nearly $3.7 billion this year.

Follow Matt Wilhalme on Twitter @mattwilhalme.

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