Josh Shaw has spent the season on the injured reserve list. The N.F.L. says he bet on games. The N.F.L. suspended Josh Shaw, an injured defensive back on the Arizona Cardinals, through at least the end of next season for betting on football games this year, the first such penalty in more than two decades.The league said its investigators found no indication that Shaw used inside information or compromised any game, and his coaches and teammates were unaware that he was placing bets on N.F.L. games.
Still, the league took a hard line with Shaw, who cannot apply for reinstatement until after Feb. 15, 2021.
“The continued success of the N.F.L. 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,” Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. “If you work in the N.F.L. in any capacity, you may not bet on N.F.L. football.” Shaw can appeal the suspension but must do so within three days. The N.F.L. Players Association did not return a call for comment.
Shaw, 27, was drafted in the fourth round by the Bengals in 2015. He played three seasons in Cincinnati. Last year, he played for the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. An unrestricted free agent, Shaw was signed by the Cardinals in the off-season and injured his shoulder in the first preseason game in August. He was put on the injured reserve list and left the team afterward. It is not the first time Shaw has made headlines. In 2014, while he was playing for Southern California, he was suspended for fabricating a story about how he had injured his ankle. Though he claimed to have hurt himself in a rescue operation, he actually was injured after falling off a third-floor balcony.
Shaw’s gambling suspension comes as the league has begun to shed many of its longstanding prohibitions against associating with the gambling industry. In recent years, the league and its teams have accepted sponsorships from daily fantasy companies, casinos and state lotteries.
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Still, the league took a hard line with Shaw, who cannot apply for reinstatement until after Feb. 15, 2021.
“The continued success of the N.F.L. 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,” Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. “If you work in the N.F.L. in any capacity, you may not bet on N.F.L. football.” Shaw can appeal the suspension but must do so within three days. The N.F.L. Players Association did not return a call for comment.
Shaw, 27, was drafted in the fourth round by the Bengals in 2015. He played three seasons in Cincinnati. Last year, he played for the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. An unrestricted free agent, Shaw was signed by the Cardinals in the off-season and injured his shoulder in the first preseason game in August. He was put on the injured reserve list and left the team afterward. It is not the first time Shaw has made headlines. In 2014, while he was playing for Southern California, he was suspended for fabricating a story about how he had injured his ankle. Though he claimed to have hurt himself in a rescue operation, he actually was injured after falling off a third-floor balcony.
Shaw’s gambling suspension comes as the league has begun to shed many of its longstanding prohibitions against associating with the gambling industry. In recent years, the league and its teams have accepted sponsorships from daily fantasy companies, casinos and state lotteries.
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