Which Players Have Been Suspended or Banned For Betting on Sports?
Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images. Pictured: Tucupita Marcano.
On Tuesday, former Pirates infielder Tucupita Marcano was banned for life for wagering on baseball.
Marcano placed more than $87,000 in bets on MLB, including 25 parlays on the Pirates at legal sportsbooks. He lost every parlay that involved the Pirates.
He is the first MLB player to be banned from baseball for gambling since Pete Rose — perhaps one of the most consequential investigations in the history of the sport.
Only one other player has been permanently banned for gambling since the Supreme Court decided in 2018 to leave it up to the states whether to legalize sports gambling: former Raptors center Jontay Porter. He was banned for life after the NBA determined in an investigation that he had altered his play for his unders to win.
The findings came out a day after the Action Network reported that Porter owned and operated a FanDuel VIP account that wagered millions of dollars from 2021 to 2023.
Who else has been suspended or banned from betting? Here's a comprehensive list of the culprits across sports since that 2018 Supreme Court ruling.
NFL
- Eagles cornerback Isaiah Rodgers (indefinitely in what amounted to one season)
- Former Colts linebacker Rashod Berry (indefinitely in what amounted to one season)
- Former Lions linebacker Demetrius Taylor (indefinitely in what amounted to one season)
- Lions safety C.J. Moore (indefinitely in what amounted to one season)
- Former Lions wide receiver Quintez Cephus (indefinitely in what amounted to one season)
- Former Commanders defensive end Shaka Toney (indefinitely in what amounted to one season)
- Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley (indefinitely in what amounted to one season)
- Titans offensive lineman Nicholas Petit-Frere (four games)
- Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams (four games)
- Former Lions wide receiver Stanley Berryhill (four games)
- Former Jets wide receiver coach Miles Austin (at least one year)
MLB
- Former Pirates infielder Tucupita Marcano (banned for life)
- Athletics pitcher Michael Kelly (one year)
- Padres organization pitcher Jay Groome (one year)
- Diamondbacks organization pitcher Andrew Saalfrank (one year)
- Phillies organization infielder Jose Rodriguez (one year)
NBA
- Former Raptors center Jontay Porter (banned for life)
Editor's note: There were dozens of suspensions in the NBA and college basketball for point shaving scandals that occurred between the 1950s and 1960s. We've chosen to not include all of the names in this story, but if you'd like to read more, here's a comprehensive look at those punishments.
SOCCER
- Brentford forward Ivan Toney (8 months)
- Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali (10 months)
- Newcastle right-back Kieran Trippier (10 weeks)
- Juventus midfielder Nicolo Fagioli (7 months)
NHL
- Ottawa Senator center Shane Pinto (41 games)
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