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The NFL is reminding all its players to be extra careful.
Following the bombshell NBA news on Thursday when the FBI revealed two massive indictments that allege illegal sports betting and gambling from both players and coaches and led to the arrest of 31 people in total, the NFL has taken action of its own.
On Friday, the NFL sent a memo to its 32 teams, reinforcing players, coaches, staff, and league and club personnel to adhere to the NFL’s gambling policy.
After talking about the “historic” busts that have overshadowed the start of the NBA season, the NFL reiterated its policy on gambling.
“NFL players must not: (1) Place any bet on NFL Football. (2) Throw or fix any NFL game or event of otherwise manipulate or attempt to manipulate any play or other aspect of an NFL game. (3) Share confidential, non-public information regarding any NFL game, player, or event with any third-party.”
Follow The Post’s latest on the gambling scandal rocking the NBA:
“Players are also required to report a gambling debt of $10,000 or more and should be especially mindful that large gambling debts may make them vulnerable to bad actors seeking to exploit them,” the memo added.
The FBI has arrested 31 people involved in a rigged poker game ring backed by the New York City organized crime families.
- Ernest Aiello — reputed Bonanno mobster
- Nelson “Spanish G” Alvarez
- Louis “Lou Ap” Apicella
- Ammar “Flapper Poker” Awawdeh
- Saul Becher — professional poker player
- Chauncey Billups — Portland Trail Blazers coach, NBA Hall of Famer and 2004 NBA champion
- Matthew “The Wrestler” Daddino
- Eric “Spooky” Earnest
- Lee Fama — professional poker player
- John Gallo
- Marco Garzon
- Thomas “Tommy Juice” Gelardo — reputed Lucchese mobster charged in 2013 for beating porn star girlfriend
- Jamie Gilet
- Tony “Black Tony” Goodson
- Kenny Han
- Shane “Sugar” Henne
- Osman “Albanian Bruce” Hoti
- Horatio Hu
- Zhen “Scruli” Hu
- Damon “Dee Jones” Jones — NBA player from 1998 to 2009
- Joseph Lanni
- John “John South” Mazzola
- Curtis Meeks
- Nicholas Minucci
- Michael Renzulli
- Anthony Ruggiero Jr.
- Anthony “Doc” Shnayderman
- Robert “Black Rob” Stroud
- Seth Trustman
- Sophia “Pookie” Wei
- Julius Ziliani
On Thursday morning, Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, Heat guard Terry Rozier and ex-Cavaliers player and assistant coach Damon Jones were among 31 people arrested as part of an investigation involving 11 states and millions of dollars.
Rozier has been accused of illegal sports betting, with the FBI pointing to a game in March 2023 where the 31-year-old allegedly tipped off friends that he would exit the early game with an injury. The act led to people placing $200,000 wagers on the Unders for his prop bets, the FBI said.
In a separate scheme, Billups has been accused of being a part of a purported Mafia-linked underground poker ring that lured victims into alleged rigged games. Similar to Rozier, Jones is also allegedly tied to illegal betting on NBA games, but is one of three defendants named in both cases.
The NFL has had sports gambling-related scandals of its own in recent years.
Wide receiver Calvin Ridley was suspended for the entire 2022 season for gambling on multiple NFL games the year prior, during the time he was away from the Falcons to address mental health concerns.
In 2023, multiple players were suspended. Five of them — Quintez Cephus, C.J. Moore, Demetrius Taylor, Rashod Berry and Shaka Toney — were reinstated after originally being handed indefinite bans.
