Roger Goodell gave his annual State of the League address before the Super Bowl. One of the hottest topics was the league’s gambling policy. With the rise of legalized betting, multiple memos have been sent to teams and league personnel about the policy. When asked, Goodell revealed that 25 team and league personnel were punished this year for violating the policy.
Roger Goodell On The League’s Gambling Policy
Before the season, the Detroit Lions got into some trouble with the policy. Wide receiver Jameson Williams was suspended, and some team personnel were fired. The commissioner reiterated that the integrity of the game is paramount.
“It’s our No. 1 objective: Gambling and outside of gambling, the integrity of our game is critical. “And so we spend a lot of time focusing on that: educating, making sure that all of our personnel are aware of our gambling policies in this case or any other policy that can affect the integrity of our game. So, ultimately, that’s our primary job.”
Sports betting has skyrocketed as more states make it legal. The NFL wants to make sure teams are not involved in gambling.
Tough Messaging
The NFL has to be tough on this one. Already, fans think the game is rigged for one reason or another. If there is massive gambling happening in league circles, it will only make those cries louder. It will be interesting to see how this evolves over time. The Detroit Lions players weren’t betting on NFL games but on college sports. It was the fact they were betting in a team facility that was wrong. There are so many convoluted rules it makes it difficult to know what is right and wrong.
Roger Goodell will continue to enforce the gambling policy. The fact that 25 people associated with the league were punished in some way is alarming. It will be interesting to see what happens down the road as betting becomes more prevalent.
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