Amid gambling scandals taking place across all sports, the NFL reinstated five players who were suspended for the entirety of the 2023 season.
This reinstatement comes just days after the NBA issued a lifetime ban on Jontay Porter for gambling violations. One player, defensive back Isaiah Rodgers, was suspended at the same time as all the other players but was not reinstated with them.
Most of the players reinstated after violating the gambling policy were free agents
Of the five players who were reinstated after being suspended for violating the NFL’s gambling policy, just one was reinstated as a member of a team.
Defensive end Shaka Toney was reinstated as a member of the Washington Commanders. The free agents accompanying him in reinstatement were defensive end Rashod Berry, wide receiver Quintez Cephus, safety C.J. Moore and defensive end Demetrius Taylor.
All four of the free agents that were reinstated played for the Detroit Lions, but Rodgers and Berry were both members of the Indianapolis Colts when they were suspended. Rodgers went on to sign with the Philadelphia Eagles, who will have the rights to him should he be reinstated by the NFL.
The only player with any meaningful statistical production was Cephus. Cephus has 37 receptions and 568 yards receiving with four touchdowns in his career.
Isaiah Rodgers reportedly bet on the Indianapolis Colts while he was playing with them
The one player that was not reinstated with the five who were was Indianapolis Colts defensive back Isaiah Rodgers.
Rodgers’ biggest area of contribution came on special teams. The return specialist amassed 1,645 yards in kick returns in the three seasons he’s been in the NFL. He had a kick return for a touchdown in his rookie season in 2020.
One of the reasons it is suspected that Rodgers was not reinstated with the rest of the players who got suspended when he did was because Rodgers reportedly bet on the Indianapolis Colts when he was playing with them.
Rodgers said in an article from ESPN that he was making bets for his friends and family because gambling wasn’t legal in their state, but it was in Indiana.
“Just trying to help friends and family out, just knowing that it wasn’t legal at the time in Florida and it was in Indiana,” Rodgers told ESPN.
“At the end of the day I knew the rules, I wasn’t supposed to do it and I got to take what comes with it,” Rodgers said.
Rodgers placed bets at the Indianapolis Colts facility as well as placing bets on the Colts. Placing bets at the facility is a guaranteed one-year suspension, but a player betting on their team has been increased to a two-year suspension in the time since Rodgers did so.
One bet Rodgers made that stood out was a $1,000 prop bet on running back and teammate Jonathan Taylor’s over/under for rushing yards. Rodgers won the bet and admitted that the report was true in the same ESPN article.
“That report is true, with it being $1,000, but that report wasn’t made from my device,” Rodgers told ESPN. “The $25 to $50 bets are exactly true, but it was more crazy-leg parlays with just $25 trying to make a crazy amount. Just funny bets. Nothing too serious. It was never, ‘This bet here is going to change my life.'”
“I questioned myself, too,” Rodgers told ESPN. “But I thought I probably wouldn’t get caught, wouldn’t get in trouble.”
The NFL and gambling have a relationship that is too close for the comfort of most fans
With the recent legalization of gambling, the NFL and other major sports leagues have begun advertising for various gambling services.
The fact that the NFL is promoting gambling adds to the fodder that NFL games are rigged, especially when officiating has been the deciding factor in many big-time NFL games.
Fans will always feel they were wronged when a referee makes a bad call that hurts their team, but now that the NFL promotes gambling, they have a more accessible scapegoat. Almost every game up to and including the Super Bowl was called rigged by droves of fans via social media.
Super Bowl is rigged, MLB is too speeded up & NHL 1st round format is disgraceful. 1-8, 2-7 etc. needs to be reinstated and gambling needs to be eliminated.
— Rob Olausen ❎ (@hockeyrob_9) April 19, 2024
Don’t forget the Refs stole the Super Bowl from the Bengals on a phantom call in the closing minutes of the 4th quarter last year.
Back to back.
I don’t know if it’s gambling, market share, or story lines but games are not on the level.#Rigged
— Pillars Of Salt (@_PillarsOfSalt_) February 13, 2023
They didn’t lose, they were cheated. The NFL is rigged.
Sorry Grant been a fan of yours for a few years now and I still love and support the 49ers, but 🖕the NFL after the last Super Bowl. https://t.co/hd2eajSsVC— Jack (@jfisher1972) April 18, 2024
Most rigged Super Bowl I ever watched was the Patriots v Falcons.
That’s coming from a Steelers fan as well.
Game was rigged.
— JP Giles (@JpGiles) April 19, 2024
The NBA dropped the hammer on Jontay Porter in an attempt to nix these allegations, but just a few days later the NFL reinstated multiple players involved in gambling. The NFL may be “too big to fail,” but they will continue to lose credibility if officiating continues to decide games while they simultaneously promote gambling.
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