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Gambling’s all fun and games until you find yourself in the grey area.
And one of those grey areas is working for a sports team in a capacity that can affect a game’s outcome.
That’s precisely what situation Jets wide receiver coach Miles Austin has found himself in, and he’s now been suspended a year for violating the NFL’s gambling policy. Austin’s attorney and agent, William P. Deni Jr. said in a statement emailed to The Associated Press that Austin did not gamble on football.
“The NFL suspended Miles Austin for wagering from a legal mobile account on table games and non-NFL professional sports,” Deni said. “Miles did not wager on any NFL game in violation of the gambling policy for NFL personnel. He has been fully cooperative with the NFL’s investigation. He is appealing his suspension.”
The NFL released a statement regarding the suspension and will have nothing else to say until the appeal has been resolved. According to ESPN, the league has been investigating Austin for a while, which was launched when it was revealed that he was placing wagers on a website.
While he wasn’t betting on the NFL or college football, gambling in all forms is a violation for anyone on the NFL staff.
“All NFL Personnel other than Players are further prohibited from placing, soliciting, or facilitating bets on any other professional (e.g., NBA, MLB, NHL, PGA, USTA, MLS), college (e.g., NCAA basketball), international (e.g., World Baseball Classic, World Cup), or Olympic sports competition, tournament or event,” the policy states.
Before working his way up the coaching ladder, Austin played in the NFL from 2006 to 2015, predominately with the Dallas Cowboys. He was an undrafted free agent but managed to be selected for two Pro Bowls. His coaching journey began with the San Francisco 49ers as a quality control coach in 2019.
