If you have ever played fantasy football you know there is always money at stake, it could be as small as $500 dollar pot money between friends or on big sites likfe DraftKings it can amount to millions of dollars. This is exactly what Jade Roper-Tolber a former contestant on “The Bachelor” have achieved, winning $1 million dollars playing fantasy football.
Jade Roper-Tolbert won “Millionaire Maker” contest by DraftKings which consists of creating fantasy lineups from the NFL’s four wild card games. Her winning lineup included Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf and Minnnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook.
Because of her celebrity status, everyone was talking of her winnings and was suggested that she broke the rules of the contest by colluding with her husband to gain competitive advantage in the fantasy, this immediately caught the attention of DraftKings who went ahead with their investigation.
I am sure that high profile players have all sorts of techniques and tactics that gain them competitive advantage but they remain silent and out of the news unlike the instant fame which led to the investigation of Jade.
DraftKings official statement on the matter — “We take the integrity and fairness of our contests very seriously and are looking into this matter,”.
Jade’s husband Tanner blames sexism —
“Would the questions, accusations and curiosity about this win be the same if the winner had been male and someone who wasn’t already in the public eye? Somehow Jade picked the right lineup, got the million and the spotlight got shown on it. And people, especially since she’s a woman, assume that I do it all for her. If I had won, I bet no one would’ve raised a flag.”
Right now the money is still on-hold pending investigation by DraftKings and the Tolberts are patiently waiting for the decision.
It remains to be seen if the Tolberts decide to sue for breach of contract, but DraftKings’ terms and conditions require players to accept arbitration in the event of legal proceedings. This would mean that a limited financial award may happend as they appear before an arbitrator in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, DraftKings headquarters.
Whether there is truth to collusion or not, winning fantasy football at that scale and amount is very hard, much harder when you are a celebrity. Even if there is collusion, winning it is a lot about luck, so just play fair, follow the rules, and enjoy the game and future winnings without the baggage.
