Getty Denver Broncos DE Eyioma Uwazurike warms up before a preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys.
In the month of June, there were three NFL players suspended for violating the gambling policy and now a month later, a member of the Denver Broncos has received a significant suspension.
According to Tom Pelissero, Broncos defensive end Eyioma Uwazurike “has been suspended indefinitely for betting on NFL games during the 2022 season. Uwazurike will be eligible to petition for reinstatement no earlier than July 24, 2024.”
Uwazurike is a former fourth-round pick by the Broncos in the 2022 NFL draft and appeared in eight games as a rookie.
The former Iowa St. Cyclone totaled 17 tackles in his rookie season and added two quarterback hits to his resume. Uwazurike also blocked a field goal from Kansas City Chiefs’ Harrison Butker.
According to Mike Klis of 9News, the “Broncos were counting on Uwazurike to get more playing time along the defensive line this year.”
Broncos Release Statement After Suspension
After the news broke of Uwazurike’s suspension, the Broncos released a statement.
“We were informed by NFL today that Eyioma Uwazurike has been suspended by the league indefinitely for violating its gambling policy. Our organization fully cooperated with this investigation and takes matters pertaining to the integrity of game very seriously. The Denver Broncos will continue to provide all members of our organization with the necessary education, resources, and support to ensure compliance with the NFL’s Gambling Policy.”
Broncos head coach Sean Payton talked about the gambling policy back in June.
“We got a packet from the league,” Payton said on June 8. “Obviously, when policies change, it’s our job to educate. Mark Thewes “[Vice president of football operations & compliance] was awesome. We’re professional teachers. The packet we received, we looked at it, studied it closely and then we presented it in our own PowerPoint.”
“I probably had 20 minutes on it to really make sure everyone has it. If you’re a teacher and half your class get a D, you better look at yourself. It’s not the policy, but it’s the implementation, the understanding, and the educating of the policy.”
Rules of the NFL Gambling Policy
The top rule in the league’s gambling policy is simple: Don’t bet.
The latest rules that the NFL enforced are, don’t bet on the NFL; don’t gamble at your team facility while traveling for a road game or staying at a team hotel; don’t have someone else bet for you; don’t share team “inside information”; don’t enter a sportsbook during the NFL playing season; and don’t play daily fantasy football.
“Sports gambling has a great deal more presence in people’s lives than it did just a few short years ago, which means for us as a sports league — where integrity of the game is the highest single principle — that we have to be thoughtful and careful and scrutinize how we share information and educate people around the rules that govern it,” Jeff Miller [NFL executive vice president of communications, public affairs and policy] said in a media availability on June 20.
Over the past two seasons in the NFL, there have been over 10 different players that have been caught and suspended for breaking the league’s gambling policy.