NFL Is Now On The Clock And Must Investigate Latest Tanking Allegations: Listen Up

Donnie Seymour, the host of SportsGrid’s The Early Line, knows that the idea of professional sports teams tanking their season for a high draft pick is far from a unique concept. We recently saw an example of this in Philadelphia as the 76ers continued to field subpar teams with the hopes of acquiring lottery picks in upcoming drafts. After all, it was the 76ers that practically coined the phrase, “Trust the process.”

In the NHL, we saw the Pittsburgh Penguins use the tanking strategy to land Marc-Andre Fleury, Evgeni Malkin, and Sidney Crosby between 2003 and 2005. Both Fleury and Crosby were No. 1 picks, while Malkin was second in the draft. The reality is the solvency of the Penguins organization was in jeopardy had they not landed those players who helped deliver a Stanley Cup some years later in 2009.

Now, we’re seeing tanking take center stage in the NFL as former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores alleges that owner Steve Ross offered to pay him $100,000 for each additional game the team lost during the 2019-2020 season. Former head coach Hue Jackson also insinuated that Browns owner Jimmy Haslam also incentivized him to lose games.

There are signs that the NFL might have a tanking issue. It was only two seasons ago in Week 17 when the Eagles brought in a third-string quarterback in Nate Sudfeld against Washington to attempt a fourth-and-goal passing play that had no chance of being completed. A field goal would’ve tied the game, but Philadelphia wanted no part of winning the contest, which led the Giants to the playoffs.

Instead, the Eagles had their sights on securing the sixth overall pick in the draft.

For decades, the NFL worked tirelessly to oppose sports gambling. Yet, with more and more states deciding to legalize it and make it more accessible, the league’s done a complete turnaround as it now has its hands out, ready to grab as much revenue dollars as it can.

The obvious problem here is that “We are betting on these games.” as Seymour points out in this edition of Listen Up.

Wouldn’t bettors have some interest in knowing whether a head coach is taking money to lose games actively? For years the NFL’s talked about its integrity. As interest in sports betting legalization expanded, the league floated the idea of an “integrity fee” in an attempt to get a piece of the pie.

Well, if they really care about their integrity, they should investigate the allegations made by Flores with the same amount of intensity they showed during the Deflategate scandal.

Get more of Donnie’s hot takes every weekday morning in Listen Up on The Early Line, only on SportsGrid.

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