8-6-23, Bo ~ Host of Football Talk
Early on in the off season there were reports of sports gambling and subsequent suspensions looming. The bets that were on NFL games made sense for there to be suspensions as it threatens the integrity of the game although the suspensions for betting on other sports seems a bit out of the line for a league that is sponsored by numerous sports books such as Draft Kings, Fan Dual and Cesars to name a few. Now these suspensions were because they players were still in NFL and Team facilities and the league cited it as they shouldn't be doing it during work, but players do have breaks in their day, however this stance has even included just being in the parking lot. That feels a little over the top but fair enough it's their conduct policy and private companies can write in whatever they want. The first suspensions and firings were mostly with the Lions which had to fire some coaches and saw some players either get released or 6 game suspensions for non-football gambling and 1 year if it involved NFL games.
As the months continued more players around the league started getting nailed for it as well. Now the first waive I can attribute to a potential misunderstanding of the rules or not enough emphasis on the severity of the potential punishment. The ones after that falls solidly on the players involved because there's now way every team didn't have a meeting addressing this exact issue directly after those first suspensions. Remember there is no issue with gambling on other sports as long as you are not doing it on NFL or Team facilities so this is now falling into the realm of self sabotage. Maybe it's the thrill of thinking you won't get caught but the NFL monitors everything so that seems like a good way to ruin your career. Maybe it's a gambling addiction which they should legitimately get help for, that being said they just need to leave the premises first. At this point they should have an agent, friend, coach etc. in their ear saying "hey until this all gets figured out maybe just don't gamble". Most of the reported bets were small wagers that even if they won wouldn't equate to a single game check let alone 6 or more. Even more so the couple of Colts players that were waived by the team after the suspensions were handed down.
Sports gambling is here to stay and there's nothing wrong with it whether it's with your friends or a major sports book but if you are in a spot where it can derail your career you may just have to pass on it for the length of your NFL career to ensure that you actually get to have one. Again, to be clear I support the suspensions related to betting on NFL games because that's a slippery slope and could lead to stat manipulation or throwing games but the 6 games for being in the parking lot seems excessive especially when you have guys getting assault charges only getting 2 to 3 games with guys like Kamara and most likely Hill in the near future.
The League is imperfect but also strategic, they tend to move in the direction that protects the shield even if the disciplinary actions seem disproportionate by comparison. That's where the players need to be mindful of what's going on and realize that for the sake of your own career save those bets for after you hang those cleats up for the last time or at a minimum have someone else place them that are not at or around the property to ensure that on Sundays you are lacing'em up and walking into a stadium and not into your living room to watch the game on TV.
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