How Bryce Harper Got Wrapped Up in a Lawsuit Against FanDuel
Bryce Harper has spent more than a decade as one of MLB’s favorite players. Harper is every bit a star and is largely considered one of the most marketable players in the league. That marketability might have just taken a little hit, though. Harper’s name has been dragged into a lawsuit filed by a Philadelphia-area man against FanDuel, and it certainly doesn’t make Harper look good.
FanDuel is being sued
Terry Thompson, a Pennsylvania native, began betting on FanDuel in 2020. What started as good-natured wagers on the Philadelphia Eagles spiraled into a gambling addiction that found him moving into live betting. Over the course of several years, Thompson wagered $18.5 million on the platform and lost well over $1 million. To feed the addiction and cover his losses, he took out mortgages, eventually lost his home to foreclosure, and ended up in an inpatient treatment center after he told a therapist he was contemplating suicide.
In March, the Public Health Advocacy Institute filed a lawsuit on Thompson’s behalf in Philadelphia’s Court of Common Pleas. The suit named FanDuel and DraftKings as defendants. The suit alleges the companies built products and VIP programs specifically designed to maximize addictive behavior in vulnerable bettors. The paperwork points to push notifications and personalized outreach as key tools used to keep people betting. That is where Bryce Harper comes into the picture.
Bryce Harper’s personalized message to Terry Thompson has been submitted as evidence
Terry Thompson’s high-volume wagering earned him VIP status with FanDuel. VIP status comes with perks, depending on how much a player spends. Thompson’s wagering behavior earned him things like champagne and Super Bowl tickets, and a personal “VIP host.” The lawsuit points out how such perks might be predatory, and points to one perk in particular that Thompson and his team deem problematic.
In November 2024, around Thanksgiving, Thompson received a 21-second video message recorded by Bryce Harper. In it, Harper greets Thompson by name, acknowledges his young son, and thanks him for his support, mentioning that “your host Bryttanni at FanDuel” wanted to make his Thanksgiving “extra special.” Harper isn’t wearing FanDuel merchandise and doesn’t mention betting directly, but the clip is stamped with the company’s logo.
Harper himself is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit, and there’s no evidence he had a formal endorsement deal with FanDuel or knew anything about Thompson’s addiction when he recorded the message. But the video’s inclusion in the case has raised uncomfortable questions about how easily a star athlete’s likeness can be used. It is unclear what Harper received, if anything, for recording the message.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reached out to Harper, who declined to comment. The Philadelphia Phillies and MLB did the same. The video does not violate MLB’s current collective bargaining agreement. Players are permitted, under the agreement, to appear in advertising for sportsbooks like FanDuel and DraftKings. MLB players, however, may not encourage betting on baseball games. In the clip entered into court, Harper never mentions wagers.
