NFL to Suspend More Players for Gambling, Is it Right?
Photo via NBC Sports
This week we will see another NFL player being suspended for gambling and betting on games. Colts cornerback Isaiah Rodgers is expected to receive a season-long suspension for his violation of the NFL’s policy.
Earlier this year, we saw five players from the Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders be suspended for violating the same policy. Three players were suspended indefinitely including wide receiver Quintez Cephus, safety C.J. Moore and defensive end Shaka Toney. The other two Lions wide receivers Jameson Williams and Stanley Berryhill were only suspended six games with Berryhill being released by the Lions after the suspension was handed out.
One of the biggest stories last year during the offseason was when Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley was handed a season-long suspension for betting on his own team after he had stepped away from the team to take care of his mental health.
The NFL and sports betting go hand in hand, so this begs the question “Is the NFL hypocritical for suspending these players for betting on games?”
Every NFL game you watch whether it be on FOX, CBS, or Prime Video you are bombarded with ads from betting apps like FanDuel and DraftKings.
Photo via 10Ten Media
Every pregame show has their own betting apps as well that they push during the entire airing of not only the pregame, but during the halftime show and commercial breaks.
During the Super Bowl, we saw countless ads that promoted these same gambling and sports betting apps that paid not only the network hosting the Super Bowl but the NFL as well to have their product promoted.
If its ok for the NFL to take money from these sports betting apps then why is it looked down on for players in the league to bet on these apps as well.
Now there is of course a line to what the players can bet on. Obviously if a player bets on an opposing team they are playing against and proceeds to throw the game then that should be punished. What about the players who decide to bet on games they have no part in or just decide to bet on a college game. Should they be punished the same as someone who is purposefully throwing games to win bets? I don’t think that they should.
The rise of sports betting in the last decade has put the NFL in a tough position on where they can stand on the issue. If sports betting is not allowed for players then the league should stop the massive pushing it and many other networks do on a week-to-week basis.
In 2021, the same league that suspends players for using sports betting apps, signed a multi-year agreement with DraftKings, FanDuel, and Caesar’s Entertainment for them to keep their rights to promote official NFL sports betting.
It makes the league look hypocritical for punishing these players when they allow for these apps and sites to be plastered on every showing of an NFL game.
