Arizona Cardinals defensive back Josh Shaw, a bit player on the injured reserve list of the NFL team, found out the hard way not to gamble on national league games—and unwittingly became the poster boy for this bad behavior. In the aftermath of his bet on a three-team parlay in Las Vegas (it included his own team) Shaw was suspended from the league through 2020, and the league sent a memo to all employees reaffirming that gambling on football is grounds for termination.
“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 states. “This includes betting on game outcome, statistics, score, performance of any individual participant, or any other kind of ‘proposition bet’ on which wagering is offered.”
The NFL has suspended only a handful of players for betting. The highest-profile case was in 1963, when Paul Hornung of the Green Bay Packers and Alex Karras of the Detroit Lions received season-long bans. Both returned the following season. In the most recent case, Baltimore Colts quarterback Art Schlichter was suspended in 1983 for betting on NFL games and other sporting events. He, too, was reinstated the following year.
The Cincinnati Bengals drafted Shaw in 2015. After playing his first three seasons in Cincinnati, Shaw split time between the Chiefs and Buccaneers last season, and on March 18 was signed by the Cards to a one-year contract worth $850,000.
Shaw made the parlay bet on November 10 at the Caesars sportsbook in Las Vegas. The reportedly losing bet “was on the second halves of three Week 10 games and included the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who were leading the Cardinals 17-13 at halftime,” sources told ESPN. “Parlay bets, because they require multiple correct picks, typically have not been associated with point-shaving or game-fixing schemes.”
Roger Goodell issued the following statement: “The continued success of the NFL depends directly on each of us doing everything necessary to safeguard the integrity of the game and the reputations of all who participate in the league. At the core of this responsibility is the longstanding principle that betting on NFL games, or on any element of a game, puts at risk the integrity of the game, damages public confidence in the NFL and is forbidden under all circumstances.”
Shaw will appeal his suspension and can petition for reinstatement on or after February 15, 2021, if the appeal is denied.
