Former Cleveland Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar is suing the media company that he alleges forced him to place a bet on the Browns in early 2023, a bet which got him fired from his job on the team’s pre-game radio show. Kosar seeks $850,000 in damages from podcasting company BIGPLAY and co-manager Kendall Myles plus $25,000 in attorneys’ fees.

Sports betting went live in Ohio on January 1, 2023; Kosar alleges that at a charity event on New Year’s Eve, Myles told him that, as part of his contract with BIGPLAY, he would have to participate in a marketing campaign and place a $19,000 bet on the Browns to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers using the Tipico sports betting app.

not be liable, nor responsible, for the amount of the wager”

At the time, Kosar said he was going to donate any winnings to charity. In his lawsuit, he claims that his contract with BIGPLAY guaranteed that he would “not be liable, nor responsible, for the amount of the wager nor will be entitled to any winnings that may occur as a result of the wager.”

Because betting on NFL games is against league rules and Kosar was “contracted personnel” of the Browns through his role on the pre-game show, the team fired him. In a tweet after it happened, Kosar said he was “shocked & disappointed.”

In the lawsuit, Kosar also claims that BIGPLAY failed to honor his contract with the company on multiple occasions and that he was verbally assaulted by Myles after refusing to sign an amendment to the original contract. In that confrontation, Kosar alleges that Myles was “yelling at him so closely, he was spitting in his face, while threatening him.”