"I just I find it to be a suspicious bet” - Sportsbook director believes some were in on Tom Brady's decision to unretire based off $8K bet
Tom Brady's retirement was acknowledged as a done deal by much of the NFL community. However, large swaths of people still didn't believe he was done.
Some were willing to throw down thousands to back their point, to the raised eyebrows of the bookies of the sports betting community. In an interview with Forbes, Sportsbook director John Murray said some of the bets were suspicious.
On the day of Brady's decision to return, several customers put big bets on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers essentially being good in 2022. One customer put down $8,000 on the team winning the NFC next year at 12-1 odds.
Another customer put down $1,000 at 60-1 odds on the team to win the Super Bowl and another thousand dollars on the team to win the NFC at 30-1 odds.
Tom Brady last's nine seasons:
2013: Lose playoff game
2014: Win Super Bowl
2015: Lose playoff game
2016: Win Super Bowl
2017: Lose playoff game
2018: Win Super Bowl
2019: Lose playoff game
2020: Win Super Bowl
2021: Lose playoff game
2022: ???
Later that day, Tom Brady unretired. Of course, had the quarterback already been on the team, the odds and payouts would have been much different, based on statements from Murray. As such, he thought something fishy was going on.
“These bets came in all over the country, all on the same day, and then three days later, a guy that some people consider to be the greatest player in the history of the league unretires,” says Murray. “Could it be a coincidence? Yes. And do I have any proof that it's not a coincidence? I absolutely don't. I'm only going off experience and I just I find it to be a suspicious bet.”
In other words, the director has a hunch.
In response, many would simply say that this statement is the result of being a sore loser. Regarding these bets, none of them have been paid out. They all require the season to play out. As such, the bets could all still be for naught.
These past two months I’ve realized my place is still on the field and not in the stands. That time will come. But it’s not now. I love my teammates, and I love my supportive family. They make it all possible. I’m coming back for my 23rd season in Tampa. Unfinished business LFG https://t.co/U0yhRKVKVm
However, the bets have turned into a massive risk for the company. Of course, if the company loses a lot of money on the bets on the director's watch, he will have no choice but to assume responsibility and the consequences if any exist.
Will Tom Brady make the bettors rich?
Brady has alternated seasons that end short of the Super Bowl with a Super Bowl victory. In 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2019, he lost a playoff game. In 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2020, he won the Super Bowl. He lost a playoff game this year, so many assume that a Super Bowl is quite likely in 2022.
Of course, this will be his first season as an ex-retiree. Once a player takes their foot off the gas in retirement, there's a chance that it could be tough for them to get back into working shape, let alone football shape.
Either way, 2022 will give the bettors their answer.