INDIANAPOLIS — The NFL suspended Indianapolis Colts cornerback Isaiah Rodgers and defensive end Rashod Berry for the entire upcoming NFL season for violating the league’s gambling policy.
The Colts then waived both players.
“We have made the following roster moves as a consequence of the determination that these players violated the league’s gambling policy,” Colts General Manager Chris Ballard said. “The integrity of the game is of the utmost importance. As an organization, we will continue to educate our players, coaches, and staff on the policies in place and the significant consequences that may occur with violations.”
Rodgers issued a statement on Twitter, saying he made an “error in judgment.” The post came hours after media reports linked him to the investigation.
According to reports, the player under investigation by the NFL placed hundreds of wagers, with at least some being on his own team.
The report in Sports Handle has a source referring to the player having placed "hundreds of wagers" and called it "pervasive."
The report states the Indiana Gaming Commission is also investigating the alleged violations.
"We have received information pertaining to this matter and we are following developments," the commission wrote in a statement to 13News. "The IGC is not the lead agency on this matter, as it involves alleged violations of a league policy at this point. We will, however, continue to review information as it emerges to determine what, if any, regulatory actions are necessary."
Rodgers, a sixth-round draft pick in 2020, is in the final year of his rookie contract and was in line to play more minutes this season after the Colts traded another starter, Stephon Gilmore, to Dallas during the offseason.
Nathaniel Grow, an associate professor of business law and ethics with IU's Kelley School of Business, said these kinds of allegations have to be taken seriously.
“The integrity of the games that player was actually betting in. So even if a player is betting on his team to win, they may still play differently than a player who doesn’t have any money riding on the game, especially if they’re betting on a team to lose, that raises a whole different set of issues,” Grow said. "You know, even if the player wasn't betting on his own team, there's still a concern that if they get too far into gambling debt, it could give people leverage for blackmail or whatever over the player that could cause them to throw plays or throw a game down the road. So I think from a league standpoint and from a gaming commission standpoint, you'd rather have people playing in those games stay out of it."
He said both the NFL and the IGC have rules on this.
“The NFL rules are really strict on when and where and what types of bets you can place and all that," Grow said. "So if the allegations are true that a player was betting on NFL games, that's going to be a big problem under league rules. The Indiana Gaming Commission has also set up rules that restrict certain types of individuals from betting on contests, and one of them is a case where you’re a participant in a sport that you’re betting on. So under the rules, you can't place a bet on a game in which you have an opportunity to influence the outcome."
With the rise and convenience of online sports betting, Grow said these kinds of investigations may become more common.
He said both the NFL and the Indiana Gaming Commission take these allegations seriously.
"The NFL is likely to come down with some kind of punishment for the player and that could be a suspension, potentially a season long or a number of games. The gaming commission could potentially try and sanction the player themselves, but they're also going to be looking at most likely, did the gaming operator or casino know or should they have known that they were accepting bets from an NFL player?" Grow said.