NFL suspends player for betting on games should FF be off limits?

Today the NFL announced that Arizona Cardinal defensive back, Josh Shaw, has been suspended for betting on games. What about fantasy football?

We will get to Josh Shaw in a moment but there is a legit question that the NFL needs to answer regarding what constitutes gambling and betting as it relates to games and fantasy football.

I love fantasy football and have been playing it for 20 years. Back when I started we held drafts in someone’s basement, drew cards for draft order, and got our scoring out of the newspaper’s sports section on Monday and Tuesdays. To say the least it is a lot different now.

Shaw will miss at minimum the entire 2020 season due to this suspension levied today by Roger Goodell. He is currently on injured reserve and hasn’t played at all this year. Previously, Shaw spent time with Kansas City and Tampa Bay as well as three seasons with the Bengals who drafted him in the 4th round of the 2015 draft.

The NFL released a statement regarding the suspension and the investigation.

The NFL maintains that no games were compromised and that is probably so, it is not like Shaw has been in a position to alter a game and he probably doesn’t sit in on too many meetings. What I do question though is NFL players playing fantasy football.

There have been multiple mic’d players during a game talking about another player’s fantasy team and such. While I’m sure that the NFL has strict rules for playing fantasy football as a player, can anyone say with certainty that there is no potential for a player to play in a big-money FF league with no one knowing who exactly they are? Of course, they can.

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I’m only making an argument for the sake of argument. Pete Rose is still banned from baseball decades after his removal from games. The Patriots today continue to pay large amounts to the league offices and to the referees in games. That was tongue in cheek by the way.

As for fantasy sports, it is unique. Players could conceivably alter the outcome of a performance if there is money on the line. A dropped pass, fumble, etc. While it is much harder, you would think, I mean will you really stand on the sideline saying, “I need to drop that next pass so the guy I’m playing this week doesn’t get an extra point.”

Shaw should not be allowed back in the NFL at all. There is no place for gambling at any level of sports when you are part of that culture that can dictate the outcome whether by direct participation or insight.

To be honest, I’m surprised it has taken this long to catch someone doing what Shaw has done. I also wonder if fantasy sports is something that players should be allowed to participate in if they are in that sport. What do you think?