There are so many ways to watch the NFL. On cable, one can watch games through CBS, ESPN, FOX, NBC, and ABC. Multiple streaming services like Sunday Ticket, Peacock, Paramount, etc. are also available. But Cornerback Tariq Woolen chose none of these! He went for something that is frowned upon and, with his choice, the Seattle Seahawks star broke a major rule.

Woolen shared a story on his official Instagram account, giving his followers a glimpse of him watching the Seahawks vs. Falcons game highlights where the Seahawks dominated with a 34-14 win. Seems fine, right? Well, that’s not the whole story. As Woolen shared a picture of his TV screen, sharp-eyed fans noticed the streaming channel he was using, ‘Me-hStreams’.

It is an illegal site in the U.S. and is strictly prohibited by the NFL. This raised eyebrows, especially since Woolen, who earns around $1,068,000 a year (base salary + signing amount), used an illegal site to watch the game for free. Hence, it has now sparked a social media frenzy.

But here’s the thing. The NFL player didn’t shy away from admitting what he did. When a user on X pointed out the platform he was using, he responded back with, “It’s free for me.” He then took a screenshot of his response, shared it on his Instagram stories, and wrote, “Me–Stream be having any game you need.”

Well, he clearly wasn’t trying to hide it. This also reminds us about how earlier this year, NBA’s LeBron James was in the news for something similar. As per sources, he was at a Nike EYBL tournament watching his AAU team, Team Strive For Greatness. It is alleged that the person sitting next to James pulled up the Dallas Mavericks vs. Minnesota Timberwolves Western Conference Finals on the illegal website StreamEast. However, it doesn’t look like LeBron James had much to do with the incident.

But coming back to NFL’s Woolen, the league might not be happy with his actions as they have had past conflicts with such sites.

Will Tariq Woolen be punished for watching games through illegal means?

The NFL earlier cracked down on illegal streaming services like NFLBite or Me-hStreams that broadcast games without permission, due to copyright issues.

Previously, illegal streaming was treated as a misdemeanor, but as per the Protecting Lawful Streaming Act of 2020, the Department of Justice can bring felony charges against providers, as opposed to users.

In fact, as reported in 2023, the NFL, NBA, and UFC have been trying to get the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to take tougher action against illegal streaming. Their goal was to get the Digital Millennium Copyright Act updated so that these websites could be taken down quickly.

“Unfortunately, UFC, NBAP and NFLP’s shared experience is that many OSPs frequently take hours or even days to remove content in response to takedown notices — thus allowing infringing live content to remain online during the most anticipated moments, or even the entirety, of a UFC event or an NBA or NFL game,” they had written in a joint letter.

Let us just say that with the latest Tariq Woolen, the NFL might be surprised. What do you think? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.