Saquon Barkley says he has sold his equity stake in Polymarket after the NFL made clear that players cannot invest in prediction-market companies. The Philadelphia Eagles running back explained the move in an interview with Front Office Sports. “I am not in that right now,” Barkley said. “I am not allowed to be in that.”

“So I kinda had to get out of that,” he added. “I was in it before, but no bueno.”

What the NFL Says

The league confirmed to Front Office Sports that its ban on players investing in or promoting sportsbooks also applies to prediction markets. The NFL declined to discuss Barkley’s case specifically, and Polymarket declined to comment.

The NFL briefs players before every season on its rules for investments, endorsements, and other off-field business. Prediction markets were part of that conversation this year.

Barkley’s Polymarket investment became public in 2025 as part of a broader portfolio that also included stakes in several technology startups. The size of his stake has not been disclosed.

A League Apart

The NFL’s position puts it at odds with much of American sports. The NHL, MLB, and MLS have partnered with Polymarket, while the NBA has deals with both Polymarket and Kalshi.

The NFL has argued that sports-event contracts on these platforms should be regulated as gambling by the states. Earlier this month, it asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a New Jersey case on whether federal commodities law or state gambling law governs prediction markets.

For Barkley, one of the league’s most marketable stars and an active tech investor, the rule means sitting out one of the fastest-growing corners of the sports business, at least while he is still in uniform.