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After a year that saw a bevy of players suspended for violating the NFL’s gambling policy, the NFLPA is now demanding change.
The news comes ahead of Super Bowl 58 in Las Vegas, a game which sportsbooks anticipate could draw over $20 billion of action.
Now NFLPA vice president Calais Campbell says it’s past time for the rules to change with the times.
“The rules are outdated, right?” NFLPA vice president Calais Campbell said. “With technology the way it is, where you can tell exactly that it has nothing to do with the integrity of the game, why not give us the opportunity to be able to do the things that we’re making money off of as a league?
“I feel like we have too many smart people who are involved in this process. Why can’t we get that fixed?”
Campbell proposes that players should be able to partake in things that are generating significant revenue for the NFL. Which is a valid argument.
The league suspended a number of players prior to the 2023 season, including five members of the Detroit Lions, would violating its gambling policy.
None of those players bet on their own team. And star wideout Jameson Williams claims he didn’t even know he violated a rule.
NFL Stands Firm On Gambling Rules Despite NFL Pushback
But NFL commissioner Roger Goodell doesn’t sound likely to soften his stance anytime soon.
“We clarified our policy earlier this year,” Goodell said on Monday. “It was to put the importance for our players that betting on NFL games or inside information or anything that would negatively impact the integrity of our game is absolutely off-limits.”
NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell, however, doesn’t see things the same way.
“I stepped into a role where I have the luxury of saying, ‘I don’t get it. Can you explain why betting on baseball in a parking lot is a year-long or six-game suspension?’” Howell said. “I think over a period of time, there was a recognition that common sense on some of these legacy issues would prevail.”
At some point, it appears the debate is coming to a head between the two sides.
The current CBA runs through March of 2030 at the end of the league year. So if the NFLPA wants a major change, it’ll have to find some sort of leverage somewhere.