SportsBooks never play fair, so why would they when it comes to athletes trying to place bets on sporting events?
No players have even more reason to not try and place bets after recent news came out about what is going on behind the scenes.
According to ProFootballTalk, the NFL Players Association sent an email to player agents informing them that FanDuel in particular has given over information about which NFL players are engaging in their product.
“I am sure all of you have seen the recent suspensions of players that resulted from violations of the NFL Gambling Policy (which is unilaterally imposed by the NFL and not collectively bargained),” the email said. “These recent violations involved players placing bets using mobile apps on their phone while at work or while traveling with their teams. This is a violation of the NFL’s Gambling Policy.
“During the NFL’s investigations, we have learned that these apps (like FanDuel) are highly sensitive and very sophisticated at tracking, among other things, user location to be sure that the people using the app are not ‘prohibited gamblers’ and/or that the person using the app is in a location where they are allowed to place bets on the app. We have confirmed that some states monitor/audit FanDuel and the other gambling apps to ensure that the companies are in compliance with state law. Further, the apps monitor gambler activity. It was as part of that monitoring that the NFL learned of the players using the apps at work in violation of NFL rules. At no time should players open or use any mobile gambling app while at work.”
Calvin Ridley was reinstated after he was suspended indefinitely after gambling on NFL games during the 2021 season as a member of the Atlanta Falcons. Ridley’s last NFL game was October 24, 2021, after which he stepped away from football to focus on his mental health.
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In 2022, the league said the gambling allegedly took place during a five-day period in late November 2021 while Ridley was not with the team and was away from the club’s facility on the non-football illness list.
The NFL learned of Ridley’s betting activity through its relationships within the legal sports betting industry
The NFL’s investigation found no evidence that any game was compromised in any way by Ridley’s actions. They are expected to make sure no player even thinks about engaging in betting while being in the league by suspending anybody for a full year for their actions. They will not allow anybody to screw up the integrity of the game.
Ridley won two national championships during his time at the University of Alabama and was a first-round draft pick for the Falcons in 2018. He had 248 receptions and 28 touchdowns in 49 games in Atlanta, according to NFL.com. In 2020, he was a second-team All-Pro selection.
The Falcons traded Ridley in November 2022 to the Jaguars in exchange for draft picks.
Jacksonville was 9-8 last season and made the playoffs as the No. 4 seed in the AFC.
