Tom Brady shocked the sports world when he announced on Sunday that he has changed his mind about retiring, but one Las Vegas sportsbook executive thinks some gamblers knew it was coming. He wants the NFL to investigate how that could have happened.
Westgate SuperBook vice president Jay Kornegay told Todd Dewey of the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Monday that the casino took several large wagers from a professional gamblers — or “sharp” bettors — on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to win the NFC Championship and the Super Bowl. The bets came before Brady made his announcement. One of them was on the Bucs to win it all at 30-1 odds. The same person bet the Bucs again when the odds were lowered to 25-1.
“There’s not a doubt in my mind that they knew he was coming back when they placed those wagers on Thursday,” Kornegay said. “And these were not casual bettors. They would be categorized as educated bettors. It wasn’t a guy with a Tom Brady jersey at the counter. It was a player that we would describe as sharp. With that type of play and the announcement we heard (Sunday) that he was unretiring, there was information that was shared prior to his official announcement.”
Kornegay says he is certain the bettors had knowledge of Brady’s plans. He wants the NFL to look into how that may have happened.
“I don’t think I’ve ever said the NFL really needs to investigate something,” he added. “But this is something they need to look into and how it got out, because there are many books that took some sizable wagers in the middle of last week.”
South Point sportsbook director Chris Andrews says his book also took a large bet on the Bucs to win the Super Bowl at 50-1 odds. The same bettor then bet the Bucs at 30-1 and 25-1 before Brady’s big news.
Even if inside information did leak, it’s unclear what the NFL would do about it. We know the league dropped the hammer on Calvin Ridley and caught him using some advanced technology, but this is a different situation. There are always going to be leaks with star players and major news. That was the case when Brady originally announced his retirement back in January.
Photo: Sep 9, 2021; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) reacts after defeating the Dallas Cowboys at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Reper-USA TODAY Sports
