It is a blow that was surely hard for him to swallow.
For it has emerged NFL star Russell Wilson is being sued over his edible ball business.
The Seattle Seahawks quarterback has been named in a lawsuit in which disgruntled former employees of his Eat The Ball company allege have not been paid their wages.
Yeast and desist: Russell Wilson is being sued over his edible balls business it has emerged
According to TMZ former managing director Joseph Carter and ex marketing specialist Bridget Botting have submitted legal papers against the bread company.
Carter claims his starting salary was $170,000, while Botting says she earning $85,000 per year.
But they are say they were not paid on several occasions, and have not received any money at all since July.
However a representative of the 29-year-old star said: ‘Russell was simply an ambassador for the company at one point, but no longer has any active involvement.
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‘He simply has nothing to do with this situation and has no knowledge of the current status of Eat the Ball.’
The former Super Bowl champion has been dragged into proceedings due to his status as a minority shareholder in the company, for which he served as spokesman.
Russell has previously appeared in videos where he espoused the greatness of his balls, which come in all shapes and sizes.
Among those on offer are American footballs, baseballs, basketballs and even soccer balls.
Speaking about the frozen treats, he boasted: ‘It’s 100 per cent all natural, which is amazing!’
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According to the company website, it makes the ‘bread of a new generation’ and is ‘vehicle for a new technology. The innovative pro.ferment.iced® production process.’
It also says the Austrian company was formed in 2012 after ‘five years of research and development’ into bread.
Russell, who is one of the highest paid players in the NFL, has been married to pop beauty Ciara since July 2016 and their daughter Sienna was born in April.
The devout Christian is also a dedicated charity worker who makes weekly visits on his days off to the Seattle Children’s Hospital.
Breadwinner: The star quarterback is married to pop beauty Ciara