Mark Wahlberg, the executive producer of “Ballers,” told ESPN‘s “Mike & Mike” that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell called him to try to prevent NFL players from appearing in the show.
“The first season of the show, the only calls I was getting were from guys like Roger Goodell saying, ‘You can’t do this,’ and various owners in the league,” Wahlberg told the sportscasters. “We were saying it’s actually a good thing for the league and the players because hopefully you get the word out there with the crazy stuff and the financial side of it, we’ll hopefully get these guys to realize they gotta be more careful with what they do with their money.”
“Ballers” stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as a former football player who becomes a financial manager for current players in Miami. Antonio Brown, Steven Jackson, LeSean Jackson, Terrell Suggs, Don Shula and Larry Csonka all made cameos in the first season of the HBO series.
Wahlberg said it was important that the show accurately depicts its subjects, which is why real player appearances have been important.
“The key is to make it as authentic as possible no matter how outrageous it gets. We always surround ourselves with real guys,” he said. “We’re privileged to get in the real story.”
Wahlberg also teased that Season 2 will see even more cameos from players, including Suggs, Julian Edelman, Ndamukong Suh and Jarvis Landry.
Season 2 of “Ballers” returns to HBO this Sunday at 10 p.m. PT.