2025 Referee Thread/Gambling Conspiracy Theories

[Colts And Orioles]

Originally Posted by Colts And Orioles

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(vs. BRONCOS, 9/14)


In the first half of the game, many ColtFreaks fans were upset about the referees making calls against the Colts' defense while allowing the Broncos' defenders much more leeway ...... subsequently, there were multiple posts wondering if the men in the striped shirts had placed money on the Broncos.

When the referees made the leverage call on the final play of the game, my first thought was that there was no way that the referees could have been in the pockets of the Broncos because of the fact that they just took what appeared to be a win for the Orange Crush away from them with a critical call on the game's final play ...... but then I looked at some of the betting lines. Some had the Broncos as 1-and-a-half point favorites, and some had them as 2-and-a-half point favorites. The Broncos were up by 2 points prior to Shrader's FG-attempt, so there would be no way in hell that the referees would ruin their bets if they had the Broncos by 1.5 ...... but if they had the Broncos by 2.5 or 3, then the outcome of that final kick would not have mattered, because they would have lost their bets regardless of the kick's success or failure.


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In conclusion, my instinct tells me that NFL referees who make an average of a little over $200,000 per year for doing what is essentially a part-time job wouldn't want to risk their careers by betting the games in which they officiate. Additionally, they are part of a union which nets them a pension for when they retire, which would make the notion of a betting scandal on their part even more dubious. Add to that the fact that almost all of them started out as high school referees, and it took them many years to work their way up through the college ranks and eventually the pros ...... another reason that would make the notion of them risking their careers and reputations less plausible would be the fact that the name "Tim Donaghy" will forever be remembered as a symbol of corruption and disgrace among Major League officials/referees/umpires, and I don't think any NFL referee would want that for themselves. So, is it possible that there could be gambling corruption among NFL referees ??? Yes, it is possible. Is it likely, especially after the precedent that was set by the now-and-forever infamous Tim Donaghy ??? No, it is not likely.

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Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier Arrested in Gambling Inquiries

(By Shams Charania)

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...mbling-inquiry

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