Gambling is too lucrative for the league for there to be any little hint at an impropriety would be too damaging.

I'm quite aware of the reasoning, I wasn't born yesterday. I'm saying it's faulty reasoning and there are plenty of people saying actually, it's pretty freaking disingenuous to be out here promoting DraftKings every chance you get and then acting morally outraged when NFL players make a bet. Again, monitor them. They can't bet on games they're in. Fine. He didn't do that.

I think that whole narrative will have changed in five years and we'll look back at Calvin Ridley's ban as even more of an embarrassment.

If I’m not mistaken, players actually can bet on sports. They just can’t bet on NFL games and they can’t bet on anything while on organizational facility grounds.

I recall one of the Lions suspensions coming because the guy was making a bet while walking to the facility and his WiFi tethered to the building.

I don't even like betting and discussion of lines infects sports discussions in an annoying way. I just don't agree that the league has to have draconian rules like that Lions situation. That's just nonsensical

Here's my thing with gambling. Cheating happens in all forms and there's so much gray area. At worst you have players trying way too hard to win. The players on the field still need to execute and it doesn't guarantee a win. With throwing games, you can practically guarantee outcomes. And it's one side not trying to win. That's why there's zero tolerance especially since it would be so easy for athletes to find indirect ways to gamble on sports and influence. I mean hell... It didn't seem implausible at all for shohei to wash money through a third party who washes money to a bookie. Even with his innocence it still seems plausible

If you play or coach in the NFL, you can't bet on the NFL. Anyone that doesn't agree with this is insane. If you compromise the integrity of the game, you lose everything. And this is coming from an avid gambler

Seems a bit silly and rather unnecessary for athletes to struggle with avoiding these rules to keep themselves out of trouble. How difficult would it be to use a proxy (such as a family member or trusted friend) to place their wagers, put the account, or the fantasy team in their name instead?

Of course it always puzzles me why millionaires drink and drive when a limo ride is most likely a phone call away.

The day you were learning the word proxy 20 year old athletes were out knockin heads, probably

That's why there needs to be zero tolerance. And to send a message with guys like ridley.

Is there anything going on in here or are we just having a circle jerk?

Either way, I'm in.

Stop raping my hand!

Allowing players to gamble is a mobster's dream come true. All they need is one guy to lose a little too much and get desperate. They don't even offer the guy money. They offer to forgive all of his debt. All he has to do is shave points in a game for them and he's out of debt.

Henry Hill (Goodfellas fame) was involved in a point-shaving scandal with Boston College men's basketball. Henry said all they have to do is get you to shave points once, and they own you. After that they'll demand you shave points in every single game you play. If you won't play along, they'll let it go public that you participated in a point shaving scandal. So the players go along with it and it just gets worse and worse.

The league knows this is how it works and they'll make an example of anyone that violates the rule. The point is not to get the player to never do it again, but to put the fear of God into all of the other players.

You guys watch too many movies

Henry Hill was a real person and a real mobster. The Boston College mbb point-shaving scandal was a real thing.

No, the point is to make you think it never happens. That's not how human nature works though.

You slept with a convict at the prison it was a felony and you picked up a sex crime. That's not one you want.
Didn't stop us from walking out 2 people a month for it. Two a month. And that's just the people that got caught. Of course it happens. Everything happens...