Is NFL hypocritical or hypervigilant in betting punishment?
Some say the NFL is hypocritical for suspending players for gambling after the league has embraced legalized wagering as a major source of revenue in recent years
Sixty years after Paul Hornung and Alex Karras were suspended a full season for wagering on football games, gambling is now as much a part of the NFL spectacle as mock drafts, tailgating and Super Bowl halftime shows.
The Raiders now play a dice roll from the Las Vegas Strip, and the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball just announced they've signed a binding agreement to purchase land for a ballpark close to Sin City's famous casinos.
Gambling is no longer a pariah but a massive moneymaker for the NFL, which has several lucrative sponsorships with online gambling sites and even a brick-and-mortar sportsbook at one of its stadiums.
So, is it two-faced for the league that has so embraced legalized wagering to suspend some of its players for betting on football games and other sporting events from their phones like millions of NFL fans are constantly encouraged to do?