Last Monday, before news emerged of “pervasive” violations of the gambling policy by Colts cornerback Isaiah Rodgers, an item from Kalyn Kahler of TheAthletic.com delved into whether the players know the specific rules that apply to betting on sports other than football.

Of five players with whom she spoke, four did not know that players can bet legally on other sports, but not at team facilities. While that’s not enough to be statistically significant, it’s a troubling sample. Ideally, every player would know about a rule so clear, with consequences so dire.

It all comes back to the manner in which teams are, or aren’t, delivering the message, along with the quality of the information provided by the league to the teams.

Teams conduct presentations, using videos and other devices to get the message across to players. Among other things, the league has created a “leave behind” document that divides the subject into various topics.

The 2022 version of the form, a copy of which the NFL has provided to PFT, contains five categories: (1) betting and wagering; (2) protecting the game; (3) fantasy football; (4) business relationships; and (5) reporting and resources.

The “betting and wagering” section has five specific lines regarding the things players can and can’t do.

Betting on NFL Games of Events: Never.

Participating in Illegal Gambling: Never.

Entering or Using a Sportsbook: Never during the NFL season.

Visiting a Casino, Horse or Dog track: OK on personal time.

Gambling at the Team Facility, While Working Remotely, or While Traveling for NFL Games or Events: Never.

That’s really not as clear as it can be, relative to what the players are allowed to do. There’s nothing about the very bright line when it comes to legally betting on other sports — it’s OK if you’re not on team property, and it’s not OK if you are.

The document also says nothing about the potential punishment. That’s necessary to ensure the document gets and holds the players’ attention.

Here’s a better way to communicate the message in 2023, without the other categories on the page in the interests of keeping it sufficiently simple so that players will read it and understand it.

Can I ever make bets with a bookie or anyone other than a legal sportsbook? NO. Punishment: Indefinite suspension for up to ONE YEAR, and possibly banishment FOR LIFE.

Can I ever bet on NFL games or anything related to the NFL, including the draft? NO. Punishment: Indefinite suspension for up to ONE YEAR, and possibly banishment FOR LIFE.

Can I bet on sports other than the NFL? Yes, but only through legal sportsbook apps and not while at work. Being at work means being anywhere in the facility, anywhere at the stadium, in the team plane, on the team bus, and in the team hotel. Punishment: Minimum suspension of SIX GAMES.

Can I enter a sports book facility? Yes, but never during the NFL season.

Can I go to a casino, a horse track, or a dog track? Yes, but only on personal time.

This is just one example of the manner in which the communication can be improved in order to best capture and hold the attention of young men who otherwise have their faces in their phones. The current NFL gambling policy, as we’ve said, looks like it was written by lawyers for lawyers. It needs to be streamlined and simplified — and the league and the teams need to do it before a star quarterback trips over one of the strange wrinkles of the requirements.

And the requirements must rise above the noise, capturing the players’ attention. There’s an inherent hypocrisy in the league having a full roster of sports book partners and actually having sports books in stadiums. The league can’t downplay that; otherwise, some players will think that it’s no big deal if they make a bet on a sport other than the NFL from the training room, for example.

Here’s the basic reality. If the message is “do as we say, not as we do,” the league needs to make that message clear — or some players will think they can do it, too.

Clearly, some do. Or there wouldn’t have been so many suspensions over the past two years, with more coming.

There was a time when the quiet weeks between the end of the offseason program and the launch of training camps required coaches and executives to sleep with one eye open as to the possibility that players will find trouble, or vice versa, with the law. Now, the primary worry should be that a call will come from 345 Park Avenue regarding a player who is under investigation for violating the gambling policy by, for example, making a bet on the NBA playoffs while killing time in the locker room before a voluntary OTA practice.

Is the league’s anti-gambling message getting through? originally appeared on Pro Football Talk