‘Mad Dog’ Russo has fiery gambling accusation for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell - “You don’t think he’s playing a little bit?”
Chris "Mad Dog" Russo recently gave one of the hottest takes possible in regards to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. He was discussing the recent punishments dished out to several NFL players for their involvement in gambling on games, despite it being against the league's rules. Russo is basically calling Goodell a hypocrite in his wild allegations.
Here's what Russo had to say about the situation during an episode of his "Mad Dog Unleashed" on Sirius XM:
“I’m not sure what the solution is with players. I understand you can’t have the whole league play fantasy football and gamble. Maybe you lower the suspensions. Maybe you give them a game suspension.
"But a year suspension for a league that is in bed with FanDuel, DraftKings, and every gambling establishment known to man. They put a Super Bowl in Las Vegas on the strip, where you can go out there and bet the games. And I guarantee, if you go out to Vegas this year, you’ll see Roger betting. You don’t think Roger’s going out there, playing a little bit?”
Russo is basically calling out Roger Goodell and the front office for being extremely hypocritical with their harsh punishments for players who violate the gambling policy. The NFL brings in millions of dollars in revenue by allowing many different gambling companies to run advertisements during game and in association with the league.
Whether or not Goodell actually gambles is unknown at this point, but even if he does, it doesn't necessarily mean he's breaking the rules he helps to enforce. Players are allowed to gamble in some capacities, but their are strict gudelines to follow, such as never doing it on NFL games and never engaging in it in any form when located on team facilities or official events.
In addition to taking shots at Goodell, Russo fired accusations at some owners as well:
“You don’t think Clark Hunt, and I love Hunt, you don’t think he has some fun with it? The Rooneys, they own Saratoga. All they did was bet the horses. How about Rosenbloom? Bet a quarter of a million dollars on the Giants-Colts in 1958."
Russo doesn't believe the punishments should be so harsh to the players who violated the gambling policy, considering some owners have some proven history of being involved with gambling. Despite his outrage, the league has cracked down over the past two years.
How many NFL players have been suspended for gambling?
Over the past two years, Roger Goodell and the front offcie have suspended 10 players for violating the rules on gambling. Seven of them received a one-year suspension for wagering on NFL games, while the other three received six-game suspensions for placing bets on other things, but within a team facility.
Calvin Ridley, Isaiah Rodgers, Rashod Berry, Demetrius Taylor, C.J. Moore, Quintez Cephus and Shaka Toney have each been disciplined with a full year suspension. Jameson Williams, Stanley Berryhill and Nicholas Petit-Frere were each given six-game suspensions.
Updated list of player gambling suspensions the last 2 years:
At least 1 year (bets on NFL):
- WR Calvin Ridley
- CB Isaiah Rodgers
- LB Rashod Berry
- DT Demetrius Taylor
- S CJ Moore
- WR Quintez Cephus
- DE Shaka Toney
6 games (non-NFL bets but done at work):
- OT Nicholas… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Prior to the league cracking down over the past two years, just four other players in NFL history have ever received a suspension for gambling. Alex Karras and Paul Hornung were the first two ever in 1963, followed by Art Schlichter in 1983 and Josh Shaw in 2019. This also means that 11 of the 14 players ever suspended for gambling were during Roger Goodell's time as NFL Commissioner.