Washington legend Joe Tessman wants the league to “protect the integrity of the game.”
Theisman hopped on FOX Business with Stuart Varney to discuss the NFL player gambling issue, which led to five players being suspended in April, with several reports suggesting there could be more to come.
“It’s doing better,” Theismann told Varney on FOX Business Thursday. “I think the NFL — because of the strict nature of these rules that have been put in place — understands that you don’t want to let anything seep into the game to give people the perception that the games are fixed, really trying to make sure of that.”
The NFL announced last week that the league will implement mandatory education sessions for players to properly apply these policies.
The university has clarified its policies at this point.
- Don’t bet on the NFL.
- Do not gamble in your team’s facility or while traveling with the team.
- You don’t have someone betting on you.
- Do not share “inside information”.
- Don’t enter a sportsbook during the playing season and don’t participate in daily fantasy football.
“From an NFL player’s perspective, you think about the millions of dollars that players make,” said the former NFL MVP and Super Bowl winner Theisman. “If you want to go to a facility, I think in the off-season, it might be fine. But I don’t think they’d say if you play in the NFL, you can’t gamble. But they definitely want to protect the integrity of the game as much as possible. And I can certainly understand that.”
Theismann can also be seen earlier this year cutting the ribbon to mark the opening of a brand new BetMGM Sportsbook in Maryland.
Betting on the NFL?
He’s not the only former player who has expressed concerns about long-term issues with gambling.
Superstar quarterback Tom Brady also gave NFL players his warning while former head coach Bill Belichick and Chiefs coach Ron Rivera issued dire warnings of their own.
This comes when a former player reportedly lost $8 million gambling during the 2022 NFL season.
