Mandatory Photo Credit: © Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports / Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
(New York, NY) – Every sports fan wants to know that games are on the level. The idea that sports could be “fixed” or that players “throw” games – for gambling purposes or some other motivation – is a deeply-entrenched concern for fans and league commissioners alike.
One need look no further than the fact that Major League Baseball’s “hit king” is banned from the Hall of Fame because he once bet on games he was managing. There’s also the Black Sox Scandal in which the Chicago White Sox allegedly purposefully lost the 1919 World Series, working in concert with gamblers from Boston and New York City.
It’s not just baseball that’s faced these concerns, of course. Boxing is almost synonymous with fixed sporting events – see: taking a dive, pulling punches – and the Tim Donaghy scandal came and went for the NBA with very little fanfare, particularly when you consider the severity of that situation.
Donaghy, a referee, was caught up with gamblers and later admitted to influencing the outcome of games in line with various bets and outside instructions. And the NFL has had some high profile incidents recently – including the one-year-long suspension for Calvin Ridley, and similar punishments for Paul Hornung and Alex Karras in the 1960s after they bet on games.
So, it’s certainly eyebrow raising but not exactly shocking that comments have emerged suggesting improper behavior in college football. Appearing recently on his podcast, former USC and Vanderbilt QB Mo Hasan explained he was once approached in an attempt to fix games.
He said a man who appeared to be a member of an organized crime organization offered him hundreds of thousands of dollars to get it done. “I was approached at Jason Aldean’s bar in Nashville by the Italian mob to fix football games,” Hasan told his co-hosts.
“I went to get drinks, and so (I was) alone… not with my friend group. He comes up to me.” The co-hosts clarified that the guy immediately knew who Hasan was. “Yes. He offered me $300,000. He said for something like this, you know my clients, 250 to 300K. For a game.”
Hasan was pressed on if the guy explained what he would want done for that cash. The QB explained the man said “We regularly talk to guys in your position about fixing games. He named guys in the SEC. Who, I don’t wanna say their names because they’re in the NFL right now and that’s a bad look. But, University of Alabama I will tell you that. He said almost every game in the SEC is rigged.”
A wild accusation to be sure, and something that bears further investigation. Both the NCAA and NFL could have an undesirable situation on their hands if there’s any truth to the allegations.
Meanwhile, the NFL in particular is increasingly in bed with gambling companies. Data collected by adtech firm Disqo, shows US ad spend on gambling was projected to reach $2 billion for 2023.
