Any owner or executive involved in this should be given the Shoeless Joe Jackson treatment. A LIFETIME BAN FROM THE GAME. Period.
It’s just been reported that a second NFL head coach may have been offered cash payoffs to lose football games.
READ THE LATEST STORY HERE: HUE JACKSON SUGGESTS HE WAS PAID EXTRA TO LOSE GAMES
This should be headline news on ESPN and be investigated at the biggest scandal in sports in years.
For decades, the NFL was bitterly anti-gambling, blocking every betting initiative, tying up proponents in court, and even taking their last legal breath in front of the US Supreme Court where they lost in a famous case against the State of New Jersey. The NFL claimed legal sports wagering would “compromise the integrity” of games.
Now, here we are. There’s an NFL team in Las Vegas. Casinos and betting are a short distance from stadiums in many cities. The league not only accepts betting but also embraces it, even encourages it. So far, we’ve had zero scandals. No player payoffs. No shady bookies compromising games. In fact, we may be coming off the most exciting and most successful NFL season in history. EVERYTHING the NFL warned the public about was a lie.
But lookie here! Now, it’s reported that TWO teams and coaches (and presumably owners) offered PAYOFFS to lose football games! So, fans who attended the games and cheered for athletes may have been duped. One team (Cleveland Browns) might have tanked games. And the Miami Dolphins came close to losing purposely, according to recent claims made by the former head coach.
READ: BRIAN FLORES SAYS MIAMI DOLPHINS OWNER DANGLED $100,000 FOR LOSING GAMES
Who knows how many OTHER teams tanked games in order to improve draft status? And, of course, many teams lose games in the late-season, especially playoff-bound teams, because the games “don’t matter.”
Please spare me the bullshit about sports gambling “compromising integrity.” The NFL and most of its owners have no integrity. They’ll do ANYTHING for a buck. They’ll even willingly lose games and go through the charade of making it “look good.”
Any owner or executive involved in this should be given the Shoeless Joe Jackson treatment. A LIFETIME BAN FROM THE GAME. Period.
If the NFL had any integrity, they’ll investigate, penalize, and prosecute. But does anyone want to bet on the number of owners and executives who end up paying a price?
I set the line at zero.