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The Philadelphia Eagles dominated the Chiefs 40-22 in Sunday’s Super Bowl in New Orleans, ending Kansas City’s pursuit of a third consecutive title and settling the score from their championship loss two years ago. One storyline was Eagles cornerback Isaiah Rodgers.
On June 28, 2023, Rodgers and several other players received season-long suspensions for violating the NFL’s gambling policy. Soon after, the Indianapolis Colts waived him along with former teammate Rashod Berry. Despite knowing he wouldn’t contribute right away, the Philadelphia Eagles signed him on August 28 that year. Now, he is a Super Bowl champion.
“I aint BET this time but I would’ve BET on myself. ” said Rodgers via a post in Instagram.
On April 24, 2024, the NFL reinstated Rodgers. Once on the verge of being a punchline, he now gets the last laugh as a Super Bowl champion.
Isaiah Rodgers’ path to Super Bowl LIX was anything but typical. As a senior at Blake High School in 2016, he received little recruiting attention but eventually landed at UMass, a program with a limited football pedigree.
Rodgers’ impressive individual performance earned him a spot in the NFL when the Indianapolis Colts selected him in the sixth round of the 2020 draft. He showed promise early in his career, but a violation of the NFL’s gambling policy led to a season-long suspension in 2023.
The league’s stance on gambling remains a puzzling contradiction—promoting it through commercials while suspending players for participating. Of course, there’s more to it. Betting on games they play in raises ethical concerns for the players.
Before the 2024 season, the NFL reinforced its gambling policy as more players faced warnings or discipline for placing football-related bets. The league strictly bans players from wagering on NFL games or events like the Draft and Pro Bowl, as well as using proxies to place bets on their behalf. However, they are still allowed to bet on other sports, including college football.
NFL players can legally gamble but are prohibited from doing so at team facilities, hotels, or while traveling for road games. They are also barred from visiting a sportsbook during the season. Notably, when the Super Bowl took place in Las Vegas in 2024, players from the Chiefs and 49ers stayed roughly 25 miles from the Strip.
In September 2023, the NFL revised its gambling policy, imposing a minimum one-year suspension for players who bet on league games, with a lifetime ban for those attempting to fix outcomes. Meanwhile, placing bets on non-NFL events while at work now results in a two-game suspension for a first offense.
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