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In the new world of legal sports betting, NFL clobbers an obscure cornerback

John L. Smith
John L. Smith
Opinion
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Sports book at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas

Until recently even avid NFL fans would have been hard-pressed to give you an in-depth read on Josh Shaw.

Although in his fifth season in the league, the cornerback from USC hadn’t made much of an impression in the professional ranks. Selected in the fourth round by Cincinnati in the 2015 draft, he seldom started. He bounced from Cincinnati to Kansas City, and then on to Tampa Bay. This season found him in Arizona, squatting on the Cardinals’ injured reserve list.

Shaw vaulted from professional obscurity to undeniable notoriety last month after it was discovered he’d placed a three-team parlay at Caesars Palace on NFL games in violation of league rules. He suddenly found himself on the front page of the sports section without intercepting a single pass. Which is a good thing since he’d only accomplished that feat once in his career.

After a league investigation confirmed he’d bet on other games, the NFL hit him on Nov. 29 with a suspension of more than a year. That’s a total of 21 games. Although this past week it was reported that Shaw appealed, don’t be surprised if the image-conscious NFL finds a way to make an even greater example out of him. It would be easy enough to do – especially since he’s not a star player. Due to that injury, he was little more than an overpaid fan this season. From the look of things, his shoulder injury also impaired his good sense.

To make matters worse for him, Shaw even bet against Arizona in that infamous three-teamer at Caesars. Forget playing for the Cardinals again. Imagine the reception he’d receive in the locker room from fellow players. Who would want to take the field with a person willing to play an angle against his own team?

Bottom line: Shaw was made to order for suspension – and for the league to show it’s still deadly serious about its image when it comes to gambling enforcement.

A clear-cut decision is also important for the legal bookmakers who are finally enjoying unprecedented acceptance across the country. At a time when state after state is jumping on board, the last thing anyone needs is the scent of scandal. Although it’s not always reported in the press, Nevada sports books for years have played important roles in providing information that has led to the exposure of suspected game fixes. It’s an old tune, but the last thing the legal side wants is even a whiff of question about the credibility of the games.

Back when Nevada was the only state with legalized sports gambling, the NFL publicly remained averse and extremely sensitive to any proximity to the bookies. Forget the fact gamblers were part of the league since its inception and players had often been linked to bookmakers. Although Alex Karras and Paul Hornung were suspended in 1963 for gambling on football, and Baltimore quarterback Art Schlichter was sanctioned for gambling on the game two decades later, others linked even tangentially to illegal bookmakers – as most of them have been outside Nevada – suffered huge hits to their public image. Outlaw bookie Don “Dice” Dawson’s ties to Kansas City quarterback Len Dawson (no relation) and Detroit passer Bobby Layne haunted their hall-of-fame playing careers.

Although it’s often been criticized for inconsistent enforcement of its own rules, and accused of hypocrisy for vilifying Nevada’s legal sports book industry, the league has much to gain in properly handling the Shaw incident.

It’s not the first time the NFL has looked askance at him. Shaw concocted a wild story about saving a drowning family member to cover up for injuries he suffered associated with a dispute with a girlfriend. He sprained his ankles after jumping from a second-floor hotel balcony to avoid the police.

He later told si.com prior to the 2015 draft, “Everything that happened in the past is solely because of me…They (NFL officials) want to look me in the eye and have me look them in the eye and tell the truth.”

A little more truth might go a long way in 2019.

Because I’m left wondering whether the Shaw story goes anywhere from here. Perhaps not.

But let me speculate briefly.

It’s not much of a stretch to presume that a sidelined player would keep in touch kept with his teammates, and perhaps even the Cardinals training and medical staff. I wouldn’t be surprised if NFL security has checked, or at least wants to know, whether Shaw pumped players or team officials for information on pre-game injuries, attitudes and intangibles. Because that’s what a guy who was willing to bet against his own team would do.

Nobody asked, but I’d be double-checking his cell records.

Some will call the suspension excessive and remind you he was an inactive player placing a sports bet in a state where such gambling is legal. There was no sign of a sports fix or something really ominous. So it’s no big deal, right?

It probably sounds naïve in a nation so undeniably obsessed with sports betting, but there’s a lot more at stake than the faltering career of an underperforming cornerback. Not just for the league, but for the multibillion-dollar sports book industry, too.

If the suspension sets the right example, then I’m betting it’s the biggest thing Josh Shaw ever accomplishes in the NFL.

John L. Smith is an author and longtime columnist. He was born in Henderson and his family’s Nevada roots go back to 1881. His stories have appeared in Time, Readers Digest, The Daily Beast, Reuters, Ruralite and Desert Companion, among others. He also offers weekly commentary on Nevada Public Radio station KNPR. His newest book—a biography of iconic Nevada civil rights and political leader, Joe Neal—”Westside Slugger: Joe Neal’s Lifelong Fight for Social Justice” is published by University of Nevada Press and is available at Amazon.com. Contact him at [email protected]. On Twitter: @jlnevadasmith

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