One of the rants you see passed around the internet is that the NFL is listed as a tax-exempt organization. NFL attorney Jeremy Spector attempted to clarify their tax status, chalking it up to confusion.
NFL attorney Jeremy Spector notes the league pays taxes on every dollar of income that it earns.
— Greg Aiello (@gregaiello) February 14, 2014
“Claims that the NFL is using a tax exemption to avoid paying the tax due on these revenues are simply misinformed,” he wrote.
— Greg Aiello (@gregaiello) February 14, 2014
“The confusion arises from the fact that there is one small part of the NFL unrelated to all this business activity, that is tax-exempt:...
— Greg Aiello (@gregaiello) February 14, 2014
"...The N.F.L. league office.” From NFL attorney Jeremy Spector. The owners that receive the revenue & pay tax also pay the league office.
— Greg Aiello (@gregaiello) February 14, 2014
Essentially what he is saying is that yes, the league office is a tax-exempt organization, but the money passes through the league office to the 32 franchises, which are businesses, and the teams pay the taxes.