Tom Brady is at it again. And don’t Buccaneers fans just love it? A report on PFT today revisits the fact that Brady played through 2020 with a knee injury. More specifically, the article refers to the surgery he had after the season. His first major surgery in twelve years. With #12 practicing this week at the Advent Health Training Facility, the problem does not lie with the health of the knee. The problem may exist with how much the NFL, more importantly, the betting public, knew about the injury last season.
Wanna Make a Bet
In the article (here), Brady tells reporters on Wednesday that the knee problem first surfaced in April or May of last season. The problem here being that Brady never appeared on the injury report at any time during the 2020 season. The NFL has previously been mum on the entire situation. The procedure, initially reported as a cleanup, has been referenced more than once now, by Brady himself, as being more serious than initially reported. And that may be where the trouble all begins.
Now that the NFL, as well as just about every other major sport is embracing sports gambling. Injury reports are becoming much more than just an injury report. The information gleaned from these tidbits of information start to have a lot more value then they previously had. They are more and more, a tool for bettors to make more informed decisions. They may take on as much importance when placing a wager, as whether a team is home or away. Favored or not. Injury reports are becoming more than just a status update. They are becoming one of the most valuable assets to the informed gambler.
How Did We Get Here
In 2003, Roger Goodell and the NFL would not allow the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority to run a 30-second commercial. The spot was to promote the city’s tourism during the Super Bowl. After the NFL approved the move of the Raiders to Las Vegas in 2017, Goodell said: “Society in general has a little bit of a change with respect to gambling in general. We’ve seen that. I think we still strongly oppose legalized gambling. The integrity of our game is No. 1. We will not compromise on that”. So, where is the NFL on legalized gambling now?
In last years new collective bargaining agreement, legalized gambling received a favorable judgement. The CBA refers to revenue from gambling on any aspect of NFL games, any performance of NFL players in games or any other NFL club activities as shareable revenue between the league and its players. The CBA refers specifically to operation of gambling related businesses located in or physically or attached to an NFL stadium. Even mentioning potential profits from slot machines “located in or physically attached to an NFL stadium. What?
All of which brings us back to the importance of the knee of one Mr. Tom Brady. If a league is going to make such a huge philosophical turnaround in this regard. And, if the injury report is of such importance when placing those wagers. The NFL is going to have to insist on those reports being as honest as possible. Which means that even the GOAT will have to admit to being mortal. This fact will be a knee’d to know basis. You can bet on it.
