Another NFL Player Suspended for Sports Gambling

Eyioma Uwazurike, a defensive end with the Denver Broncos, was given an indefinite suspension by the NFL on Monday for making bets on league games during the 2022 season.

Uwazurike, an Iowa State athlete who was selected in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft and saw action in eight games as a rookie, is the tenth player this offseason to receive a suspension for placing bets on sporting events while in the NFL locker rooms. He can submit a petition for reinstatement up to July 24, 2024.

The Broncos issued a statement saying, “Our organization fully cooperated with this investigation and takes matters pertaining to the integrity of the game very seriously.” The Denver Broncos have said that they “will continue to offer all members of our organization the training, tools, and assistance required to ensure compliance with the NFL’s gambling policy.”

While inside NFL premises, players and staff are not permitted to bet, divulge any private NFL information, visit a sportsbook during the NFL season, or retain any social, professional, or personal ties with sports gamblers.

At legally run casinos and horse or dog racetracks on their own time, including during the season, they are allowed to make non-sports bets.

Although the regulations have been in place for a while, the league has tightened down on infringers as more states legalize sports betting.

For placing bets on NFL games last year, Isaiah Rodgers, a former Indianapolis cornerback, Rashod Berry, and unrestricted free agent Demetrius Taylor were all given indefinite suspensions last month. Rodgers and Berry were released by the Colts after being suspended.

Nicholas Petie-Frere, an offensive tackle for Tennessee, was penalized with a six-game suspension for non-NFL wagering at the club.

For breaking the gambling policy, the league in late April punished Detroit receivers Jameson Williams, Quintez Cephus, Stanley Berryhill, safety C.J. Moore, and Washington defensive end Shaka Toney.

Coach Miles Austin of the New York Jets’ receivers was given a one-year suspension in December for partaking in non-NFL gambling.

Calvin Ridley, a wide receiver, was moved from Atlanta to Jacksonville and later reinstated after receiving a season-long NFL gambling suspension in 2022. Josh Shaw, a cornerback with the Arizona Cardinals, was barred from the league in November 2019 when it was discovered that he had bet on an NFL game.

Players who gambled on their own teams while not playing or who disobeyed the league’s rule on betting on non-NFL sports while at the club facilities have all been subject to gambling-related punishments.