PHILADELPHIA — Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said the league is reviewing what Bryce Harper alleged was FanDuel’s improper use of a Cameo video recorded by the Philadelphia Phillies star.
In November 2024, Harper recorded a Thanksgiving message for a Philadelphia fan named Terry Thompson, who claims he has incurred more than $1.5 million in gambling debt with FanDuel. When Thompson received the 21-second video, he said it was branded with FanDuel’s name and logo, presented as a perk for a VIP bettor.
Harper says he didn’t know about Thompson’s gambling issues, nor that FanDuel would use the video for commercial purposes. Manfred said that Harper did not breach any terms of the collective bargaining agreement.
“I’m not really certain that I know all of the underlying facts well enough to evaluate the behavior,” Manfred said Tuesday at his annual All-Star Game press conference. “The important thing is Bryce’s activity was not a violation of the basic agreement. We made sure about that. We’ll continue to try to figure out exactly how we ended up where we ended up on that.”
Harper originally received a video request on Cameo, a platform in which athletes and celebrities film personalized videos for a fee; Harper’s rate starts at $899. This particular request, which came from someone identified as a FanDuel VIP host named Bryttanni, was not purchased through a separate category for business videos, Harper said in a statement released Monday on his Instagram account. Harper added that he has no affiliation with FanDuel.
“What happened here went beyond anything I knew about or approved,” Harper said in the statement.
Thompson and another plaintiff are suing several sportsbooks, including FanDuel, claiming the companies use their products and VIP services to coerce bettors into gambling more. Thompson alleges his FanDuel VIP manager, Bryttanni Morgan, offered an array of benefits, such as free tickets and hotel accommodations to attend the Super Bowl, all to motivate him to keep gambling. Harper’s name did not appear in the lawsuit.
In the video, Harper references “your host Bryttanni from FanDuel,” wishes Thompson and his family a happy Thanksgiving, and says to tell his son hello. He makes no mention of Thompson’s gambling habits.
“I read (the script) in good faith,” Harper said in his statement. “FanDuel then put its own logo on the video and used it as a gambling promotion. I did not know FanDuel would do this, I did not consent to it, and FanDuel had no right to do it.
“Had I known FanDuel’s true intent, I would not have made the video. The same is true had I known anything about Terry or his situation, or about any alleged ‘partnership’ between Cameo and FanDuel.”
A recent report from Front Office Sports confirmed that FanDuel and Cameo have a partnership that permits Cameo videos to be purchased for FanDuel VIP bettors.
The Philadelphia Inquirer first reported on the Harper video late last week. This week, Harper remains the center of attention as the situation unfolds while his team and city host the All-Star Game. Harper participated in the Home Run Derby on Monday night and will represent the Phillies in his ninth All-Star Game on Tuesday at his home ballpark.
FanDuel is an official betting partner of MLB. Ahead of All-Star week, additional FanDuel advertising was placed in right field at Citizens Bank Park.