Kelce brothers discuss NFL betting and suspensions

By Bruce Ewing | Last updated Jul 13, 2023 6:26 PM ET

Jason and Travis Kelce are safe bets for the Hall of Fame someday, but don’t bet on them to gamble on the NFL any time soon.

During a recent episode of their "New Heights" podcast, the Kelce brothers discussed the number of players suspended for violating the league’s gambling policy. As of this posting, nine players have been suspended this year, with the Colt’s Rashod Berry and Isaiah Rodgers losing their jobs altogether.

Travis Kelce doesn’t understand what players can’t comprehend about the policy. “I don’t know what they do in other organizations because I’ve only been in Kansas City.” Kelce said, “But every single year in training camp we get told there is no betting in the facility, no betting period.”

According to the NFL’s gambling policy, “All NFL personnel are prohibited from placing, soliciting, or facilitating any bet, whether directly or indirectly through a third-party, on any NFL game, practice or other event.”

The policy also states that team personnel cannot engage in any form of gambling while in any club or league setting or while traveling with the team. In other words, NFL players can bet on any other sport, but they must do so away from team facilities.

Jason Kelce believes the growth of betting apps in modern culture have normalized gambling, making it easier for players to take part. But he also understands the dangers of NFL players betting on NFL games.

“Anybody that knows somebody that’s been in debt before to casinos knows the predicament that puts a guy in,” he said. “What happens when you’re $14,000 in the hole ‘cause you’ve been betting on your own self and then the bookie says, hey you do something this game, all of a sudden your slate’s clean.”

The elder Kelce has a point. Back in 1963, then-commissioner Pete Rozelle suspended Green Bay’s Paul Hornung and Detroit’s Alex Karras (both Hall of Famers) for betting on NFL games and associating with gamblers and "known hoodlums." It’s a slippery slope the NFL would like to avoid.

After a gambling suspension cost Calvin Ridley all of the 2022 season, it’s surprising so many players have made the same mistake. But as long as NFL games are sponsored by betting sites, expect more players to gamble with their careers.

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