The NFL and its teams have not done a great job of educating players about the clear rules and stern consequences of the gambling policy. Or, alternatively, the players know and don’t care.
Regardless, gambling suspensions have become more common than PED or Personal Conduct Policy punishments. And another significant one could be coming.
Matt Rybaltowski of SportsHandle.com reports that the NFL is investigating a Colts player for “pervasive” wagering.
Per the report, the NFL has evidence that the player in question “placed hundreds” of bets, and that at least some were placed on the Colts. A “considerable” number of wagers reportedly were placed from inside the team’s practice facility.
“Although the player is not considered a superstar, an ardent NFL fan has probably heard of him,” according to the report. Most of the betting happened in 2022, and some occurred in 2023. The player is still on the team’s roster.
The Indiana Gaming Commission told Rybaltowski that the commission is investigation the player, too.
The player reported made the wagers through an account opened by an acquaintance. This suggests a level of awareness regarding the rules, along with a clumsy, inadequate effort to cover his tracks — especially because bets reportedly were placed in the practice facility.
George Orwell had the right dystopian church, but the wrong dystopian pew. Big Brother is not the government. Big Brother is all of us, and our own phones can and will provide all the evidence necessary to prove wrongdoing by anyone who has engaged in it.
