Beverly DraftKings Player Sues MLB Over Cheating Scandal

BEVERLY, MA — Major League Baseball, the Boston Red Sox and the Houston Astros should reimburse fantasy baseball players who lost money on DraftKings because they did not realize players on the teams may have been cheating, according to a class action lawsuit filed by a Beverly man last week in U.S. District Court. In his complaint, Kristopher R. Olson accuses the MLB of "wrongful promotion of fantasy baseball wagering competitions that they caused to be, and knew or should have known were, corrupt and dishonest."

Olson, 49, is a reporter for Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. His lawsuit seeks financial damages for entry fees and lost prize money for DraftKings games involving the two teams since the start of the 2017 season.

Alex Cora, who was fired as Red Sox manager Jan. 14, is accused of helping develop and implement a sign-stealing scheme in Houston, where he was the bench coach for the World Series champions in 2017. Cora is also implicated in another sign-stealing scandal involving the Red Sox, where the team stole signs from the video replay room and relayed them to players.

MLB penalized the Astros. It is continuing to investigate the allegations against the Red Sox. Olson's lawsuit said the MLB did not enforce its own rules and delayed disclosing the scandal because of its marketing relationship with DraftKings.