Malik Nabers and Jayden Daniels, two teammates from LSU, wagered $10,000 to see who would win offensive rookie of the year in the NFL. They canceled their wager after finding out more about the NFL’s gambling policy. After being “educated” about sports betting, Nabers—who was selected by the Giants with the sixth overall pick in the draft—told reporters today that he and Daniels had decided to call off the wager. Daniels, who remains close to Nabers, was selected by the Commanders with the second overall choice and is now their NFC East adversary.Who “educated” Nabers is unclear, but examining the league’s gambling policies is on the rookie minicamp agenda for all teams. It’s safe to assume that the NFL is communicating to rookies like Daniels and Nabers that the league takes its gambling policies seriously and that the risks are too great, even for what they initially believed to be a friendly bet.
The gambling rule has a flaw that might have let Nabers and Daniels to place the wager prior to being selected. After all, they are exempt from the league’s gambling regulations prior to joining. Nabers and Daniels, however, concluded that dropping the bet would be preferable to pursuing that defense. The NFL supports legalized gambling because it makes games more exciting, but there are many problems with it, one of which is that players frequently don’t know exactly what is and isn’t permissible. When Nabers and Daniels agreed to the wager, they had no idea it may get them in trouble with the league. They are aware now.