Getty Image / Thearon W. Henderson
The NFL seems to be having some issues with gambling recently after a spell of players received a suspension for partaking in gambling.
It all started last year when Calvin Ridley was given a season-long suspension.
Since then, multiple players on the Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts, and Washington Commanders have suffered a similar fate.
In the wake of all of these suspensions, it appears the Commanders are attempting to do something about it.
According to Pro Football Talk, Ron Rivera is planning an education course for his team to avoid anymore suspensions.
Here’s what Rivera had to say after defensive lineman Shaka Toney was suspended.
“The first thing we did when it first broke initially, we did have a player that was involved, unfortunately, we reached out to the league and asked them if they had a PowerPoint they could send and share with us. We got Mike Jacobs, our head of security here, involved as well. And then we presented to the players. It’s presented every year, but what we did was an extra emphasis on it.”
Rivera continues his statement, claiming the Commanders plan to ensure everyone is well aware of the rules, per Pro Football Talk.
“The league will have a presentation as well. So we’re going to continue that, it will be a presentation that we will do during training camp as well again, just so we continue to hammer these things home and be very, very careful that we understand the integrity of the league, the integrity of each team and the players’ own integrity and coaches’ integrity for that matter as well are at stake. We have to be very, very diligent about this.”
Clearly, the Commanders hope to avoid anymore suspensions, as it could be detrimental to the roster.
The NFL, of course, has fully welcomed gambling by joining forces with sports books. However, it’s geared more toward fans, as players are prohibited from betting on NFL games.
Additionally, players are not allowed to bet on other sports while in team facilities. Pro Football Talk reports that, “some players appeared not to know that and have been suspended.”
For that reason, Ron Rivera and the Commanders are doing everything possible to educate their players and avoid future suspensions.
Hopefully, this issue can be put to rest. It’s not a great look to have players missing out on games due to these violations.
With that said, the Commanders seem to be on the right track to avoid future suspensions. Perhaps other teams should follow suit.