Q: I would like to know where the money goes when a professional athlete is fined. Is the player allowed to use the fine as a charity deduction on his or her tax return? Or does the athlete really have to give up the money to the NFL or Major League Baseball, etc.? — Rick Roth, Alpharetta
A: Fines paid by players and coaches to professional leagues, such as MLB, the NFL or the NBA, generally are tax-deductible because the money typically is donated to charities. Players who are fined must pay their respective leagues, which then distribute the money. The NBA sends all its money collected through fines to charities such as Special Olympics, Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, league spokesman Mark Broussard told NBCNews.com in August. NFL fines have amounted to about $4 million a year for the past four seasons, league spokesman Michael Signora told the website. "Money collected from player fines is used to support the NFLPA Players Assistance Trust and charitable initiatives supporting youth, education and sport-related medical research," he said. "We think it's important that fine money collected from players benefits worthy causes that we know are important to players." MLB often puts the fines collected from players into a fund that helps retired baseball players who are struggling financially, Matt Bourne, MLB's vice president of business relations, told NBCNews.com. Major League Soccer in 2012 directed all its fines to the Kirk Urso Memorial Fund and the U.S. Soccer Foundation. Urso was an MLS player who died last year.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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