A Rare Suspension for Betting in the NFL

Josh Shaw was punished in college for inventing story about daring rescue of nephew
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Nov 29, 2019 5:15 PM CST
A Rare Suspension for Betting in the NFL
The Arizona Cardinals' Josh Shaw stretches in Glendale in July.   (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Arizona Cardinals cornerback Josh Shaw was suspended indefinitely on Friday for betting on NFL games on multiple occasions this season, the first time in more than 35 years a player has been banned for gambling. The suspension will last at least through the 2020 season, the AP reports. Suspensions of NFL players for betting are rare. The highest-profile case was in 1963 when Paul Hornung of the Green Bay Packers and Alex Karras of the Detroit Lions were banned for the entire season. Both were reinstated the following season, and Hornung went on to make the Hall of Fame. In the most recent case, Baltimore Colts quarterback Art Schlichter was suspended in 1983 for betting on NFL games and other sporting events. He, too, was reinstated the following year.

According to the NFL, a league investigation found no information that Shaw, who has not played this season, used inside information or compromised any games. The league also said it found no evidence that teammates, coaches or other players were aware of Shaw betting on games. "If you work in the NFL in any capacity, you may not bet on NFL football," Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. In college, Shaw was suspended by USC for lying about how he injured his ankles. He told the team he hurt himself leaping from the second story of an apartment building to save his drowning nephew. The real story was that Shaw jumped to evade police, who'd been called by a neighbor who had overheard an altercation between the player and his girlfriend. Shaw can petition for reinstatement to the NFL on Feb. 15, 2021. (USC didn't doubt Shaw's story at first.)

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