Why did Malik Nabers call off $10,000 bet with Jayden Daniels? Giants WR tells all after uproar over gambling policy
Malik Nabers and Jayden Daniels are already learning the rules of the NFL gambling policy. The former LSU teammates were selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft and their competitive nature had them agreeing to a bet as to who would have the better rookie season.
However, Nabers said on Friday afternoon that he has been 'educated' on the NFL's rules of gambling, which resulted in him and Daniels calling off the $10,000 bet on who would be named "Rookie of the Year."
ESPN writer Jordan Raanan tweeted:
"Malik Nabers said he’s now educated on the NFL’s gambling policy. He and his former LSU teammate Jayden Daniels called off their $10K bet for rookie of the year."
Daniels echoed Nabers sentiment later in the afternoon, telling reporters after mini camp that they were told about the rules. They came to an agreement that the bet was off and neither wanted to start their NFL careers by getting in trouble:
“We were uneducated on the gambling policy in the NFL. We learned about it last night, me and him had a conversation … and obviously we don’t want to get in trouble ….”
Earlier this week, Jayden Daniels was a guest on the "All Facts, No Breaks" podcast, where he discussed the details of the bet. The quarterback was drafted with the second pick by the Washington Commanders.
That wasn't the first time the details of the bet were discussed though, as Malik Nabers had mentioned it on "The Pivot" podcast shortly after he was drafted. Both rookies apparently have realized that this agreement could put them in violation with the NFL before they step onto the field.
A number of fans and analysts, including Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio raised the question as to why the league wasn’t raising an eyebrow over Nabers’ very public bet with the second overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Sports as a whole has seen a few suspensions in recent years, with the NBA’s Jontay Porter being the most recent to face the wrath of a major league. Porter was handed a lifetime ban from the NBA for betting on props involving him.
NFL's gambling policy explained
The National Football League has cracked down on its gambling policy the last few years. The league tightened its policies as sports gambling has continued to grow.
In September 2023, the NFL announced changes to the gambling policy, which prohibits NFL players from betting on league games and stats. Players are allowed to place bets on other sports but they are prohibited from doing so while in an NFL facility, which includes a team hotel.
A first-time offense of the rule comes with a two-game suspension. A second-time offense comes with a six-game suspension and a third-time offense comes with a one-year suspension, all non-paid.
NFL players who place bets on third-party sites, have other place bets for them or, are found to be 'tipping' results in favor of bets or giving insider information to others for bets, would receive an indefinite suspension.
The NFL and NFLPA (NFL Player's Association) agree to terms of the policy each year.