NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The National Football League says it's watching an internal investigation by the Tennessee Titans of a ticket deal between the team and a professional scalper.
That deal was first exposed by NewsChannel 5 Investigates.
"We received notice from the team and are available to assist as the club's investigation continues," NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in an email statement.
"We will review the results to better understand what took place and to identify any steps that would be appropriate for other clubs to consider."
Our NewsChannel 5 investigation revealed how the Titans went into business with Boca Raton ticket broker Cole Rubin in an effort to maintain a 16-year sellout streak and avoid a blackout of the team's games on local TV.
As part of the deal, according to former team executives, the Titans gave Rubin free tickets to preseason match-ups, like last season's Green Bay game -- match-ups that were reportedly written off on the team's books as donations to the military.
The Titans also sold Rubin tickets for the more popular regular-season games, like last year's home opener with Dallas -- tickets that Rubin could scalp to Cowboys fans.
In return, the ticket broker agreed to take a portion of those profits and buy tickets to less popular games -- at a substantial discount.
The Titans, in a statement responding to NewsChannel 5's questions, had said that the team's internal audit had uncovered "irregularities" in its ticket office and that the league had been notified.
Still, the Titans said, "As an organization we employ many strategies to maximize ticket sales, including ticket brokers from time to time. Most professional sports teams do also."
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