Barkley Sells Off Polymarket Shares Under NFL Investment Ban

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley said he sold his equity stake in Polymarket after the NFL barred players from investing in gambling or prediction-market companies. Barkley described the rule change to Front Office Sports, which published its report on Wednesday. "I was in it before, but no bueno," he said.

The league briefs players before each season on what they can and cannot endorse or invest in, and prediction markets are no longer on the permitted list. An NFL Players Association spokesperson said earlier this year that the league "views prediction markets as gambling entities, so players are not allowed to be an endorser or brand ambassador for a company like Kalshi or Polymarket under the gambling policy."

Barkley has invested widely outside football. A 2025 report by The Profile said he had put upwards of $500,000 into startup companies including Anthropic, Anduril, Ramp, Cognition, Neuralink, Strike and Polymarket.

The NFL's position separates it from other U.S. leagues. The NBA, Major League Baseball, the NHL and MLS each maintain agreements with Kalshi, Polymarket or both. The NFL is also litigating the question: earlier this month the league asked the U.S. Supreme Court to decide whether sports-event contracts offered by prediction markets fall under the authority of state gambling regulators. A league source told ESPN's David Purdum that the league wants a quick ruling and would accept a federal framework if it mirrors the regulatory approach used by states.

The Supreme Court has not yet indicated whether it will take the case.