money Jade Roper Tolbert Stripped of $1M Fantasy Football Prize Following Cheating Allegations
Jade Roper Tolbert won’t be receiving $1 million after she was accused of violating the rules of a fantasy football contest.
Earlier this month, the Bachelor in Paradise season 2 winner confirmed she had finished in first place in DraftKing’s Millionaire Maker contest for the NFL’s wild-card round.
However, shortly after sharing her excitement over the win, numerous Twitter users accused Roper Tolbert of working with husband Tanner Tolbert, who also entered the contest, in order to gain an unfair advantage.
After previously confirming that they were “looking into” the situation, DraftKings announced on Saturday that they had “decided to update the standings.”
“DraftKings has decided to update the standings for several contests. All customers affected by the updated standings will be notified directly,” a DraftKings spokesperson tells PEOPLE in a statement. ”It is our general policy not to comment further on such matters.”
The reality star is no longer listed as the winner of the fantasy contest, and the former second-place finisher is now listed at the top, ESPN and USA Today reported.
Roper Tolbert did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Hours after his wife was accused of cheating on the contest, Tolbert came to her defense, telling PEOPLE that he and his wife “respect that DraftKings feels they need to do their due diligence in regard to Jade winning their $1 million dollar prize for the fantasy contest for the NFL’s wild-card round this weekend.”
“Though we must ponder, would the questions, accusations and curiosity about this win be the same if the winner had been male and someone who wasn’t already in the public eye?” he asked, concluding his statement by explaining that her win was “pure luck.”
Tolbert added: “It is incredibly important for us to establish that Jade’s win is nothing more than pure luck and we are confident that DraftKings will determine the same.”
RELATED: Jade Roper Tolbert Accused of Colluding with Husband After Winning $1M in Fantasy NFL Contest
After the mom of two was revealed as the winner, numerous social media users shared screenshots of the pair’s lineups, suggesting that the couple seemed to have coordinated their choices. Additional sleuthing appeared to show that the pair each picked 150 lineups, the maximum allowed, generating 300 unique entries.
According to DraftKing’s website, “group play behavior designed to gain an unfair advantage over others” is against the rules.
