Josh Shaw, a safety for the Arizona Cardinals, hasn’t gotten the chance to step on the field this year due to a shoulder injury that led to him getting moved to the injured reserve in August. During his time away from football, Shaw apparently picked up a hobby that led to the league doling out a suspension that will hold him out through at least the end of the year.
According to a release from the league, Shaw wagered on NFL games while on the IR. In response, the NFL announced that he’ll be suspended through the end of the year, and on Feb. 15, 2021, Shaw will be able to apply for reinstatement.
The #Cardinals’ Josh Shaw has been suspended through the 2020 season for betting on NFL games. pic.twitter.com/f2yqCm0VzD
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 29, 2019
The second graf in that release is important, as it indicates that Shaw did not use “any inside information” that led to games being “compromised in any way.” It also said that no one on the Cardinals was aware of the fact that Shaw wagered on games. Basically, despite the fact that no one had any idea and games weren’t impacted at all, the NFL set the precedent that betting on any game is completely out of bounds. Whether this deters other football players from wagering remains to be seen, but with gambling becoming legal nation-wide, the NFL made it clear this is still not something it wants its players doing.
