The NFL Players Association has lost round of its legal battle with Panini over the termination of its license to create trading cards with player names and images.
The NFLPA informed contract advisors on Monday that, on Friday, an arbitrator issued a ruling that allows Panini to continue to sell NFLPA-licensed trading cards while a broader arbitration challenging the termination of the license continues.
Panini initiated arbitration after the NFLPA abruptly ended the agreement and granted an exclusive license to Fanatics.
For now, both Panini and Fanatics will sell NFLPA-licensed cards.
“We remain confident in our decision to terminate the license and will aggressively pursue this position at the hearing,” the NFLPA wrote.
Panini and the NFLPA had a contract that ran through 2026.
