Denver Broncos defensive end Eyioma Uwazurike on Monday became the latest NFL player to be suspended for a gambling violation, and his head coach is not happy with the league.
Uwazurike has been suspended for at least the entire 2023 season for gambling. There were no details provided about what the 25-year-old wagered on, but other players who received bans that were similar in length were found to have bet on NFL games.
In an interview with USA TODAY’s Jarett Bell on Tuesday, Payton sounded off on the NFL over the lack of clarity players have been given with regard to gambling rules. He said the number of violations reflects poorly on the league.
“When you have a bunch of players getting D’s, you have to start looking at the message,” Payton told Bell. “And we’ve had a lot of D’s in our league this year with this policy.”
Uwazurike is the 10th player since April to be suspended for a violation of the NFL’s gambling policy. Payton had criticized the league over the policy before one of his own players was suspended. He told Bell the information that was sent to teams during the spring was “awful” and eventually re-written because it was so difficult to understand.
Payton, who said he told his players “you can’t bet on football, period,” also criticized the NFL for the hypocrisy of teams now being in bed with sportsbooks and gambling outlets.
“I know this: There’s a handful of owners that are owning these ‘problems,’” Payton said. “A player can’t have a share of DraftKings or FanDuel. It’s shameful. Embarrassing.”
The NFL essentially acknowledged last month that the communication regarding its gambling policy has not been perfect. In order to help address that, the league gave players six key rules to follow.
As Payton mentioned, the two most important rules are not betting on NFL games and not betting while at work. If players avoid that, it will go a long way toward keeping them out of trouble.
