The NFL just dropped the hammer on the Arizona Cardinals, and it is a complete mess. Front-office executive Ryan Gold is out. Suspended indefinitely. The league sidelined the team's director of college scouting on Friday, and the details are wild.
We are not just talking about placing a few casual bets here. The league caught him leaking internal draft secrets and wagering on football games.
Here is what went down. A league investigation found that Gold used his insider access to feed outsiders confidential draft info. He was literally sharing who the Cardinals were going to draft before the picks were announced on television.
To make matters worse, he was placing parlay bets on college and pro games. You cannot make this up. A guy who has been with the Cardinals for 13 years threw it all away for a few bet slips.
The Cardinals immediately backed the league's decision, calling it an isolated incident. The NFL confirmed that game integrity was not compromised, but they are not taking this lightly. Gold can still appeal, but do not hold your breath.
The league has a zero-tolerance policy for this, and leaking draft info is about as bad as it gets. Gold is likely done in Glendale.
