NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has finally addressed the betting scandal involving Raptors’ forward Jontay Porter. Porter was reportedly betting on games he was playing, with unnatural betting trends on his unders. Silver called Porter’s action a cardinal sin and revealed he can hand him a career ban from the NBA.
“I have an enormous range of discipline available to me. It’s a cardinal sin, what he’s accused of in the NBA. The ultimate extreme option I have is to ban him from the game. That’s the level of authority I have here because there’s nothing more serious.”
The NBA isn’t re-thinking its position on sports betting either, with Silver elaborating on the chances of players engaging in illegal sports betting.
“I mean, this is not new that there’s unsavory behavior, even illegal behavior, around sports betting. I guess my point is that to the extent it’s going to exist, if you have a regulated environment, you’re going to have a better chance of detecting it than you would if all the bets were placed illegally.”
The NBA is going to send a powerful message with whatever happens to Porter if he’s guilty. Given the important part betting plays in modern sports now, it’s fair to say that the consequences on Porter will set the benchmark for what future players could face if they’re caught in a similar scandal.
Betting Is Endangering Players And Coaches
Jontay Porter is facing the consequences of his actions, so we can’t be upset with what Silver is foreshadowing as a punishment for him. However, the increase in sports betting in the NBA has led to interactions between fans and players being permanently altered.
Cleveland Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff opened up about the issues that betting has caused in their personal lives, with fans threatening them even on private channels because their bets fell through.
“I have had some instances where some of the sports gamblers got my telephone number and were sending me messages about where I live, my kids, and all that stuff. It is a dangerous game and a fine line we’re walking. It brings added pressure, it brings a distraction to the game that can be difficult for players, coaches, referees, and everyone that’s involved in it. We really have to be careful with how close we let it get to the game and the security of the people involved in it.”
Bickerstaff isn’t the only one who is criticizing how sports betting has impacted the NBA, with the league fining Rudy Gobert $100K after he called out officials and accused them of being involved with sports betting themselves. The integration of the once-illegal activity is having an adverse impact on the NBA and the league needs to step in before a high-profile player gets caught in a betting scandal.
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