The National Football League announced it is suspending Arizona Cardinals cornerback Josh Shaw through at least the entirety of the 2020 season for betting on NFL games.
The league said it uncovered that Shaw bet on NFL games “on multiple occasions this season,” but investigation found no evidence indicating that Shaw used any insider information, or that any game was compromised in any way.
The league also said it couldn’t find evidence that indicated that Shaw’s teammates, coaches, or any other players were aware of his betting activity.
"The continued success of the NFL depends directly on each of us doing everything necessary to safeguard the integrity of the game and the reputations of all who participate in the league,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Friday in a statement.
“At the core of this responsibility is the longstanding principle that betting on NFL games, or on any element of a game, puts at risk the integrity of the game, damages public confidence in the NFL, and is forbidden under all circumstances."
The Cardinals had signed Shaw in March, but he landed on injured reserve after suffering a shoulder injury in the preseason opener against the Los Angeles Chargers on August 8.
The NFL said Shaw may petition for reinstatement to the league on or after Feb. 15, 2021. He may appeal the suspension within three days from Friday, according to the collective bargaining agreement jointly agreed to by the NFL and NFL Players Association.
This isn’t the first time Shaw has come under scrutiny. In August 2014, while he was a member of USC’s football program and shortly after he had been named a captain as a senior, Shaw admitted to lying about a story in which he had said he injured his ankles while jumping into a pool to save his drowning nephew. He later revealed that got hurt when he jumped from a balcony in Los Angeles.
A 2015 fourth-round selection for the Cincinnati Bengals, Shaw, 27, has appeared in 55 games with the Bengals, Chiefs and Buccaneers.