Former NFL Commissioner Fears Sports Betting Repercussions

• Ex-commissioner of the NFL Paul Tagliabue is speaking out against regulated sports betting as he believes it will affect the integrity of the games.
• Tagliabue has said he has always been against gambling on football games because the act of point-shaving only needs the quarterback in on it to get it done.
• The veteran commissioner hopes that quarterbacks remain true to the game and do not fall victim to money being offered to throw a matchup, literally.

NEW YORK – The former commissioner of the NFL, Paul Tagliabue, is speaking out with his concerns on what gambling on football games could do to the integrity of the sport.

Point shaving is something that can be easily done according to Tagliabue with only the quarterback of a team in on that scam. With other sports, it typically would take more than one athlete to help sway a matchup and its outcome one way or another.

Tagliabue is now 80 years old but still very much involved in following the National Football League as he served as the commissioner from 1989-2006, a 17-year chunk of his life. The current NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, was the one to take the reins from Tagliabue. However, Goodell does not have such a stance on regulated sports betting.

What Tagliabue Think Of Sports Betting In The NFL

The former NFL commissioner is not blind to the fact that sports gaming and its industry have significantly changed since he was last working with the league. More than half of the United States have regulated sportsbooks, making wagering on the games an even bigger issue because football is the most bet on sport for gamblers of the games.

“The thing that bothers me, fast-forward, when the Supreme Court ruling came down, there were television people and others who told me that with the technology that’s available now, with computers and the ability to sort data to see where the money is going, it would be easier now to spot point-shaving than it was previously,” said Tagliabue. “Previously, you had to rely on investigators … But now we have technology that can tell you if things are happening that shouldn’t be happening. So, some people tell you you’re better off now because of the data, it’s out in the open, so there’s not a risk.”

Mobile sports betting is easily accessible and the most used platform for wagering on sporting events like those of the NFL nationwide.

Tagliabue can see these cultural differences that have evolved into what betting on sports has turned into since he was last part of the league. The sheer popularity is something that scares him because young quarterbacks in the NFL could be talked into taking the money offered to them to throw a game with so many regulated industries across the country.

In The End

Football teams are partnering with sportsbooks to have them at their stadiums.

Sports wagering legislation is being heard in numerous states and while Tagliabue worries about the integrity of the game that he loves so much and has devoted his life to, he has one piece of advice for the active quarterbacks going into the 2021 season; if offered money to change the outcome of a game, just don’t do it.

“I still worry about some young guy and someone says to him, ‘Take the money.’, ” said Tagliabue.

Follow the advice of a veteran of the sport and keep the integrity of the NFL and game intact.

News tags: NFL | Paul Tagliabue | Roger Goodell