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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is not a fan of Ballers, a hit HBO show some have called an NFL version of Entourage, and is therefore prepared to do anything to ensure none of the players in his league are involved with the show.
Ballers producer Mark Wahlberg said on ESPN’s Mike & Mike Friday that Goodell and NFL owners called the show’s producers and told them not to allow their players to make cameos.
Victor Cruz, Antonio Brown, Terrell Suggs, and DeSean Jackson are among those who appeared in Season 1. Season 2 premiered Sunday, and is expected to boast more cameos like Ndamukong Suh and Jarvis Landry.
“The first season of the show, the only call that I was getting was from guys like Roger Goodell saying ‘you can’t do this,’ and various owners in the league,” Wahlberg said. “And we’re saying is it’s actually a good thing for the league and for the players because hopefully you get the word out there with the crazy stuff and the financial side of it, we’ll hopefully get these guys to realize they gotta be more careful with what they do with their money.”
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The series includes many suggestive themes — drugs, sex, fiscal irresponsiblity — although it also attempts to capture the highs and lows of life as a professional athlete. Cameos by NFL players seem to have given it more authenticity according to some, although Goodell clearly isn’t among those.
The show tells the story of former NFL player turned financial manager Spencer (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) and his quest to build a client base of high profile athletes while guiding them through their lives as professionals.
NFL Communications SVP Natalie Ravitz tweeted, however, that Goodell’s call to prohibit football players from appearing on the show wasn’t true:
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