The former Jacksonville Jaguars employee who admitted to wire fraud and illegal money transactions in the embezzlement of $22 million from the team was sentenced to six and a half years in federal prison Tuesday.

Amit Patel started working for the Jaguars in 2018 and was the lone administrator of the team’s virtual credit card system from the fall of 2019 to February 2023. He made hundreds of secret purchases and transactions through the system, with gambling expenses being among them.

He could have faced up to 30 years in prison, and the prosecution sought a seven-year sentence, but the defense argued Patel was a gambling addict who needed help. The judge was unconvinced, however, saying “If it’s reported on SportsCenter tonight that you can steal $22 million and get a lowball sentence, we’d better look.”