League rules bar players from having financial interests in gambling or prediction-market companies, the Eagles running back told Front Office Sports.
Saquon Barkley is out of the prediction-market business, whether he liked it or not. The Eagles running back told Front Office Sports he was forced to divest his equity stake in Polymarket because NFL rules prohibit players from investing in or endorsing gambling or prediction-market companies.
A profile of Barkley last September revealed Polymarket as one of his startup investments. Sometime between then and this past summer, the league informed players that holding financial interests in prediction-market platforms was no longer allowed.
"I am not in that right now," Barkley said. "I am not allowed to be in that."
Barkley explained the NFL briefs players before each season on updated rules covering endorsements, investments, and other business dealings. Prediction markets like Polymarket have exploded in popularity as a gray-area alternative to traditional sports betting, but the league is treating them the same as any other gambling enterprise when it comes to player involvement. For Barkley, that meant walking away from a stake he had already built, no exceptions made for running backs with a knack for picking winners off the field.