Be it the baseball players getting called by federal agents during the Biogenesis scandal or getting questioned about their financial dealings—we have seen it all. And there’s little being spared during the interviews as well. Literally, they were grilled, to be precise. Now, another drama has unfolded where the MLB players have been contacted by the federal agents for something that many are yet unknown about.

We might have heard about the organization named OneTeam Partners. Basically, they are an expert team handling the access to players’ IP and supporting their journey in the development of cross-platform products that attract the fans. What happened was that the MLB and NFL players were called by the federal agents for investigating their involvement in the financial dealings with the group licensing firm.

As reported by ESPN, the players were not allowed to make any statement publicly; rather, they were interviewed by the federal agents. The investigation was basically conducted to understand the financial structure of the OneTeam and the dealings that they carried out, which concerned the FBI and Department of Labor. Especially after the organization was found to transfer huge sums of money to the respective unions, for example, payment of $44.5 million to the MLBPA in 2024.

Although if sources are to be believed, the players haven’t been the target of the investigation, but it was a move to acquire knowledge of any wrongdoings that might be happening. However, in response, OneTeam completely denied any misconduct, saying that they were aware of the investigation concerning allegations placed on their partners. “We want to emphasize that OneTeam is not the subject of the investigation and has not been accused of any wrongdoing in any way. OneTeam is fully committed to cooperating with the investigation.”

However, if you remember, this isn’t the first time OneTeam has been under scrutiny. A charge of corruption, nepotism, and poor management was made against the company last year. They were actually held accountable for implementing unfair labor practices, which prompted a thorough investigation. The NFLPA’s outside counsel, Richard Smith, conducted an audit to determine whether or not the organization had provided equity options to the union’s executive directors while acting on behalf of the MLBPA.

However, there was nothing worthy of mention. The reason? Well, OneTeam cleared the air, citing that they have remained committed to following the best practices. And that they have maintained the highest level of integrity and transparency in whatever they do. But there’s something more concerning that has caught the attention of everyone. Any guesses what it is?

NLRB complained against MLBPA amid investigation on $1.9B firm

What was looking to be an end to the problem after OneTeam made it clear of their no involvement in any misconduct suddenly turned into something more concerning. The NLRB alleged that the union’s executive director, Tony Clark, has been indulged in providing equity to several other executives within the organization. But that’s not the only problem. Clark is even blamed for not making proper revelations about the partnerships they are involved in within the annual union filings.

However, the union completely disagreed with the allegations made against him. Clark is a member of the OneTeam board of members, and the union’s finances have significantly improved under his direction. Not to mention that MLBPA boasts assets worth over $353 million, despite allegations that the actual amounts given to the players were not disclosed. But can you sense any wrongdoing?

Well, nothing as such. And just like NFLPA’s role in OneTeam has been in compliance with the best governance practices, hopefully, MLBPA’s role will also be in compliance with the practices. As for Tony Clark, the MLBPA is standing by his side, as he seems to have done nothing illegal as the executive director.

However, until the investigation provides a final conclusion, the dark cloud will continue to hover, creating a sense of uncertainty for the labor organizations. Do you think Tony Clark might be held guilty or does everything seem alright at the moment?