April 22, 2023 We Need To Talk: Part One: NFL Edition

Gonna try to do three of these today.  We'll see if I get through them all.

But I see three subjects (two sports -- and, hence, less-important) that I think we are now at the level of "We Need To Talk..."

And this one surrounds the gambling investigations and suspensions in the NFL...

And this isn't necessarily one thing here...  Just kind of a list of things that I think we need to at least examine regarding a lot of this stuff...

First:

• Using The Sporting News to source the players before yesterday's announcement, these are the seven players to have been banned from the NFL for illegal gambling:
• Josh Shaw (who, though technically reinstated after a two-year life-ban, is done in the NFL)
• Calvin Ridley (served the one year life-ban, is allowed back, and is joining the Jaguars)
• Jameson Williams (six games)
• Stanley Berryhill (six games)
• CJ Moore (life ban, fired)
• Quintez Cephus (life ban, fired)
• Shaka Toney (life ban)

Now, why am I listing these?

• At the time of the suspensions, Shaw and Ridley were Arizona Cardinals.
• Williams, Berryhill, Moore, and Cephus were Detroit Lions.
• Toney was a Washington Commander.

Tell me one of those seven players who were on teams that were worth a tinker's damn in the relevant season:

• Shaw:  2019 Cardinals were last in their division
• Ridley:  2021 Cardinals did make the playoffs, but were blown out by the Rams in the Wild Card round.
• Toney:  2022 Commanders, last in their division.
• The four Lions:  Aced out of the playoffs in Week 17.  And, remember, this was after the Lions started 1-6, four of those losses by four or fewer points.

None of these teams were any degree of really relevant.

Second:  Given the increasing perception in the public that the NFL is rigged, do you not think that a number of these players may be trying to get money on the side here?

Third:  It is made note of by a lot of defenders of the NFL that none of these players really got that much playing time.

That doesn't matter.  They had access to those who did.  Especially given that the NFL investigation revealed yesterday appears to have uncovered a significant amount of gambling within the Lions' organization, would you not think that it may be time for the league to pore over the games last year and see if anything suspicious comes up?

You know, like the four games out of the first seven where the Lions lost by four points or less, or the fifth game later in the season?

And is there any real mystery that this has cropped up again with the rise of otherwise-legal gambling in the USA?