Cameron Heyward, the veteran Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman, recalled that when he was selected in the first round of the 2011 NFL draft, the most popular betting event was the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament, which attracted millions of casual fans. in the United States. through bracket pools among friends and coworkers.
The league has had policies in the past to prevent gambling by players and others in the game, which it says risks harming the integrity of the game. However, Heyward believed at the time, the guide was not a big deal because betting was not widely available.
“I honestly don’t see it as a football-related gambling policy,” Heyward said last week in an interview at his team’s training camp. “But it’s taken, and you have to make sure you’re up to date on what you can and can’t do.”
The Supreme Court in 2018, seven years after Heyward was drafted, struck down a law that banned sports betting in most states. Since then, betting has quickly been linked to the sport and the league as more states have begun to allow legal sports books.
The NFL has direct sponsorship agreements with three sports betting companies, and it adds branding to game broadcasts and other programs. Television viewers are bombarded with ads from sportsbooks, which offer promotional incentives and push mobile apps. At least two teams – the Washington Commanders and the Arizona Cardinals – have sports books on their stadium grounds.
But the NFL’s embrace of sports gambling stands in stark contrast to its heavy-handed discipline of players who violate the league’s rules against betting.
Since April, the league has suspended at least seven players indefinitely for betting on NFL games, in violation of its gambling policy. Those players can apply for reinstatement after the 2023 season. It also suspended at least three players, including second-year Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams, for betting on other games at their team’s facility.
The league says the stricter approach to players, coaches and staff betting on games is necessary to protect the sanctity of the game — the basic premise that games contested for the entertainment of fans are genuine competitions. without specific consequences.
But that approach also raises questions about fairness, the idea of ​​integrity and the league’s policing of athletes who grew up with smartphones and have fewer restrictions on their adult lives than even a little older. players like Heyward.
The aftermath left coaches and players trying to prevent more suspensions and questioning the league’s effectiveness in relaying its policy and consequences.
Coach Sean Payton of the Denver Broncos told USA Today that it’s a “shame” to have players suspended for long periods of time because the league doesn’t communicate their policies.
“When you’ve got a bunch of players getting Ds, you’ve got to start seeing the message,” Payton said after one of his players was suspended in July. “And we have a lot of D’s in our league this year with this policy.”
Some players struggle to distinguish between the league’s ban on its employees and the institution’s broader acceptance of the sports betting industry. Williams said he “don’t know†in the league’s gambling policy, although it is detailed in the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement and included in each player’s contract.
For decades, the NFL has avoided gambling ties and lobbied against the expansion of betting in the United States. Since the Supreme Court struck down the law banning legal sports betting, teams have rushed to sign sponsorships with casinos and sports books and, in 2021, the NFL formed partnerships with DraftKings, FanDuel and Caesars Entertainment, which is reportedly worth approx $1 billion for five years.
After long avoiding Las Vegas because of its gambling industry, the league allowed the Raiders to move to a new stadium there that has since hosted the Pro Bowl twice, as well as the 2022 NFL draft. This February, the city will host the Super Bowl.
Across the United States, legal sports books operate in 34 states and the District of Columbia, according to the American Gaming Associationthe casino industry’s business group.
Heyward said the rapid spread of sports gambling may have forced the league to take a stricter approach to players than it needed to.
“At this point, we’re more reactive than responsive, and that’s how the game plays out because we haven’t thought everything through,” he said. “And being reactive turns out to be a much more severe punishment than learning from it and seeing how we can improve.”
The average age of the 10 suspended players was just under 25, meaning many were likely still in college when the Supreme Court issued its ruling. They have grown up in a digital age where betting has become widely available and legal through technology.
“It’s very difficult for anyone who works with people of that age to explore that nuance, especially given the number of changes that a young player can go through when entering a you’re a pro sport,” said Bob Boland, a Seton Hall sports law professor and Penn State’s former athletics integrity officer.
The recent suspensions have similarities to a 1963 episode in which Alex Karras and Paul Hornung – two of the league’s biggest stars at the time – were suspended for a year for betting on sports.
“The precedent was set long ago,” said Steelers owner Art Rooney II, who agreed with Commissioner Roger Goodell’s approach.
Karras and Hornung continued their careers. But coming back after a year out of the league is difficult under ordinary circumstances. Young players who have recently been suspended will also carry the stigma of being suspended.
In the months since the out-of-season suspensions, the league and the players have tried to prevent more betting from within the game.
The NFL requires rookies to attend mandatory gambling policy meetings, and it sends officials to teams during off-season practices and training camps to further explain what can and cannot be done. of the players. Joe Schoen, the Giants general manager, said in an interview that league staff gave a presentation about the gambling policy at the Giants facility during the first day of training camp. Although the Giants have had no players suspended this off-season, he said he feels sorry for people who may have violated the orders. But, according to him, they have no excuse.
“Maybe some guys just made some honest mistakes because they didn’t understand the rules, but the integrity of the game is very important to the league and everybody,” Schoen said. “Everyone sees the same presentation, so now if they get into trouble or break the rules, that’s on them.”
Among the league-wide messengers was Tom Brady, the recently retired star the league asked to make a broadcast. anti-gambling educational video message for the players.
Chris Lindstrom, an offensive lineman with the Falcons, said he does not download betting applications to his phone, and Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith said he knows players who delete applications from their devices. Highsmith said he has little sympathy if a player is found to have violated the policy in the future.
“For guys to do something at this point, after hearing all this, is just reckless,” Highsmith said.