Cardinals DB Josh Shaw Suspended For Betting On NFL Games

Josh Shaw will draw a season-long suspension. The NFL suspended the fifth-year defensive back for the entire 2020 season for betting on NFL games. An appeal must be filed within three days.

Currently stationed on the Cardinals’ IR list, Shaw bet on multiple games this season, according to the NFL. While a league investigation did not find Shaw to have used inside information, this is still a major development. The nature of this infraction certainly makes the Friday after Thanksgiving a logical target for this news dump. Shaw cannot apply for reinstatement until Feb. 15, 2021.

The continued success of the NFL depends directly on each of us doing everything possible to safeguard the integrity of the game and the reputations of all who participate in the league,” Roger Goodell said in a statement. “At the core of this responsibility is the longstanding principle that betting on NFL games, or on any element of a game, puts at risk the integrity of the game, damages public confidence in the NFL, and is forbidden under all circumstances. If you work in the NFL in any capacity, you may not bet on NFL football.”

While this will not register on the same level as Paul Hornung and Alex Karras‘ season-long gambling bans in 1963, with Shaw being a journeyman, it’s still quite the late-season development. It is not known if Shaw bet on Cardinals games, though Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic tweets Shaw is not believed to have been around the team since going on IR in August.

Shaw, 27, was a 12-game Bengals starter in 2016. The 2015 fourth-round pick played at Florida and USC and has spent most of his career as a backup with the Bengals, Chiefs and Buccaneers. The Cardinals signed Shaw to a one-year, $895K deal in March. This ban certainly puts the veteran defender’s career in jeopardy.

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