Update: Daniels and Nabers said the bet is off
Jayden Daniels reiterated what Malik Nabers told Giants media earlier: Their $10k bet is off.
“We were uneducated on the gambling policy in the NFL. We learned about it last night, me and him had a conversation … and obviously we don’t want to get in trouble ….”
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) May 10, 2024
Malik Nabers said he’s now educated on the NFL’s gambling policy. He and his former LSU teammate Jayden Daniels called off their $10K bet for rookie of the year.
— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) May 10, 2024
Malik Nabers said on “The Pivot” podcast the night of the draft that he had a $10,000 bet with Jayden Daniels, his former QB at LSU, on who would win the NFL offensive rookie of the year award after this season. This didn’t raise many eyebrows, but now that Daniels confirmed the bet while on the “All the Facts No Brakes” show with Keyshawn Johnson, it has become a story.
Jayden Daniels will be educated on the NFL’s sports gambling policy this week at Commanders rookie minicamp, a person with knowledge of the matter said, likely nixing the QB’s wager with Malik Nabers (via @NickiJhabvala and @MarkMaske) https://t.co/8s5WEyAPDf
— Dan Steinberg (@dcsportsbog) May 9, 2024
Players are first informed about the league’s gambling policy, which was updated last fall, at their teams’ rookie minicamps. For the Commanders, that started Thursday when players arrived at the team’s facility in Ashburn for physicals and meetings, which include presentations on league and team protocols. Rookies will take the field Friday and Saturday.
The NFL revised its policy in 2023 to include more stringent penalties for some violations and reduce the penalties for others. The latest policy does not appear to have explicit language pertaining to private bets with friends and family.
Jayden Daniels and Malik Nabers have a $10K bet on who wins OROY @JayD__5 | @whyguard13 pic.twitter.com/DUlTz2rE7O
— All Facts No Brakes (@AllFactsPod) May 8, 2024
ESPN had some more info on the NFL’s updated gambling policy and what that means for Daniels and other NFL players.
However, there’s a good chance the bet doesn’t happen. One team source said the education for rookies on the gambling policy will take place during their rookie minicamp, which begins Thursday with orientation sessions. The bet could end up being cancelled afterward.
ESPN has contacted the NFL league office to determine if this would violate its policy on gambling but did not immediately hear back. The league’s policy states that NFL personnel are prohibited from “placing, soliciting or facilitating any bet, whether directly or through a third party,” on any NFL game, practice or other league event, such as the draft or combine.” It includes betting on the outcome of a game, statistics, the score or individual performance and other prop bets.
The 2022 gambling policy stated that gambling includes “private wagers between teammates, family and friends, or others” but that was not included in the revised 2023 policy.
Jayden Daniels and Malik Nabers aren’t getting punished for a bet between two former teammates, but they will get the reminders from the team, via the league, about gambling, and more importantly, talking to the media about gambling. Several players were suspended last year, including Washington Commanders DE Shaka Toney, for betting violations. That’s not this, but the NFL will protect the shield, while giving you the odds on the season opener.