Hours after reports indicated Isaiah Rodgers Sr. was the Indianapolis Colts player who placed numerous bets on NFL games — including some, reportedly, on his own team — the third-year defensive back posted a statement on Twitter Monday night taking “full responsibility” for his actions.
Nowhere in the seven-sentence statement does Rodgers confess to betting on football games on US betting sites. However, he admitted to making “mistakes” and vowed to do “whatever it takes to” make amends.
“The last thing I ever wanted to do was to be a distraction to the Colts organization, my coaches and my teammates,” Rodgers said. “I’ve let down people that I care about. I made an error in judgement (sic) and I am going to work hard to make sure that those mistakes are rectified through this process.”
The league’s betting rules make it clear that no player or personnel can place a bet either directly or indirectly on any league game, practice or other event. While the policy indicates penalties may include a lifetime suspension, it notes that each case will be dealt with individually.
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Indiana Gaming Officials Aware
Earlier Monday, the Indiana Gaming Commission told USBR that the state’s regulatory body over sports betting operators is trying to determine what rules, if any, were broken.
“Any situation like this is a good opportunity to review the actions of the sportsbooks to make sure they are compliant with their internal controls and our rules,” IGC Deputy Director Jenny Reske said. “We will certainly be undertaking that activity regarding specific action. … We’re still waiting to receive information that would enable us to move forward with a full plan.”
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Latest Gambling Incident to Rock Sports World
Rodgers is the latest NFL player to be tied to a sports betting investigation. In April, the league suspended five players, including four from the Detroit Lions, for violating the league’s rules.
While those rules ban any type of bet on football, they do allow players to bet on other sports with the exception that betting on anything of value “in the workplace” is prohibited.
Jameson Williams and Stanley Berryhill, both from the Lions, received six-game bans. Their teammates Quintez Cephus and C.J. Moore as well as Shaka Toney of the Washington Commanders were suspended indefinitely. Those three will sit out at least the upcoming season before they can apply for reinstatement.
The NFL has shown a willingness to let players return from a gambling-related suspension for using US sports betting apps. Calvin Ridley was reinstated three months ago after he was suspended indefinitely last year for betting on the Atlanta Falcons, his club at the time, while he was on the non-injury list.
Ridley is set to play for the Jacksonville Jaguars next season after they traded for him in the fall.
The NFL is not the only major U.S. sporting body that has had to deal with issues arising from sports betting. The University of Alabama fired baseball coach Brad Bohannon last month after gaming regulators in several states banned sportsbooks from taking wagers on the Crimson Tide’s game in the wake of some suspicious wagering activity on college baseball. Late last month, Sports Illustrated identified the bettor Bert Neff, an Indianapolis area man and former college pitcher, who was on the phone with Bohannon while at the BetMGM Sportsbook at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. Neff reportedly made wagers on a Crimson Tide game against LSU after learning Alabama’s starting pitcher would be a late scratch.
Neff’s son plays for the University of Cincinnati’s baseball team. Last month, that school dismissed two baseball staff members after it began an investigation. According to media reports, the two staffers were aware that a player’s parent was betting and failed to notify school officials. Bearcats coach Scott Goggins resigned last week.
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