Press Releases

 Today, Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI) sent queries to several sports organizations (National Football League Players Association (NFLPA), Major League Baseball Players Association, National Basketball Players Association, National Hockey League Players Association, and the Major League Soccer Players Association) after recent reports of illegal sports gambling schemes involving professional athletes. 

In the letters, Walberg writes: “Recent instances highlight the alarming rise in proprietary information sharing to benefit certain gamblers. These actions eviscerate the integrity of sports and hurt honest, law-abiding athletes. The Committee understands the important role of players’ associations in educating individuals on illegal sports betting practices and seeks to understand how you can better ensure proper conduct among players to safeguard free and fair competition.”

The letters continue: “On October 23, former Miami Heat player Terry Rozier and Damon Jones, a former player and assistant coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers respectively, were arrested for using proprietary National Basketball Association (NBA) information to place sports bets illegally. ESPN reported that gamblers used the information provided by Mr. Rozier to bet on seven NBA games throughout 2023 and 2024…Additionally, two Cleveland Guardians pitchers, Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, were indicted on November 9 for sharing information with betters about which pitches they would throw.”

The letters conclude: “In light of these and other similar scandals, the Committee seeks information from the NFLPA to understand what steps it is taking to ensure the athletes it serves are protected from these unethical actions. By no later than January 31, 2026, the Committee kindly requests that the NFLPA provide information on what actions it has taken or plans to take to curtail players from using proprietary information to skew sports betting.”

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