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The NFL handed out another round of suspensions this weeks for players who violated the league’s gambling policy, and New England Patriots cornerback Jonathan Jones doesn’t seemed thrilled with those rules.
“I understand rules are rules,” he tweeted Thursday. “But I can risk my life so that my team wins but I can’t risk [$1,000] on my team winning.”
When one person responded that it was an issue of integrity and players betting on their own team could throw games to make more money, Jones responded: “You could limit bets to be only for your team’s benefits.”
The issue with that, of course, is that players could easily manipulate prop bets in such a scenario.
Defensive players who bet on their quarterback to hit a certain number of passing yards in a game could give up easy touchdowns to keep the game close and ensure their team kept calling passing plays. Offensive lineman could blow assignments on running plays to coax the offensive coordinator to call more passes. Quarterbacks could take prop bets on certain receivers to hit touchdown or yardage thresholds during a game and only target those players.
It’s very easy to see how players gambling on their own sport and team could easily become highly problematic.
When another person pointed out that Jones could easily bet on other sports if he wanted to scratch a gambling itch—it should be noted that he could only do so when he wasn’t present on team or league grounds—Jones responded: “I don’t bet on sports the ROI isn’t that great. I’m only arguing logic.”
While that logic is highly questionable, there’s arguably a double standard at play as the NFL continues to wholeheartedly embrace gambling and strikes incredibly lucrative deals with sportsbooks while demanding players keep their hands out of the proverbial honeypot.
The NFL would argue that a rising tide raises all ships, with the increase in overall revenue due to partnerships with sportsbooks being the rising tide that benefits both owners and players. But there’s no doubt that the league’s changing stance toward gambling as its become legal in more and more states has provided complications.
Four more NFL players were suspended this week for violating the league’s gambling policy. Indianapolis Colts’ players Isaiah Rodgers and Rashod Berry and Demetrius Taylor were suspended indefinitely for betting on NFL games, while Tennessee Titans offensive tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere was suspended six games for betting on other sports while at team facilities.
Given how easy it is to place bets these days, it’s likely to remain an ongoing issue. And amidst those complications, Jones’ suggestion to simply let players bet on their own teams doesn’t seem like a particularly viable option.