Many years ago, then-New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath owned a famous nightclub in New York City. The NFL found out "hoods" were frequenting Bachelors III and using it for gambling purposes, and Commissioner Pete Rozelleordered Broadway Joe to immediately divest his interest in the establishment.
The thinking was that those "hoods" — who Joe famously said all had last names ending in vowels — might get their hooks into Namath for gambling purposes. Namath, who lives in Jupiter these days, retired in an emotional press conference, eventually came to an agreement where he gave up his nightclub — that had expanded to several other cities — and returned to the NFL for nine more seasons.
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The Namath/Bachelors
III mess came to mind this morning when this NFL release came out:
NFL Announces Official Partnerships with Three Leading Sports Betting Operators
According to the release, DraftKings, FanDuel, Fanatics Betting and Gaming all signed multi-year agreements, "expanding a relationship with the NFL that includes collectibles and official league merchandise. As part of these multi-year deals, all three partners will have the ability to leverage NFL marks within the sports betting category and promote online and retail sports betting.
"They will also have presence at NFL tentpole events such as the Super Bowl and NFL Draft, unique hospitality and VIP experiences and integrations across NFL-owned digital media properties. Finally, they will have access to real-time, official play-by-play statistics, proprietary Next Gen Stats and BetVision through Genius Sports, the league’s exclusive data distribution partner."
Guess the NFL no longer worries about personnel consorting with gamblers.
NFL continues to talk out of both sides of its mouthguard
The NFL always has walked a slippery slope on gambling. While it has enthusiastically entered these agreements with betting sites, it also proudly points to its gambling policy, annually reviewed with everyone in the NFL, that strictly prohibits anyone in the league "from participating in or facilitating any form of sports gambling, and from providing third parties non-public information” related to gambling.
Number 1 on the NFL gambling key rules list: "Don't Bet on the NFL." There are signs posted in every NFL locker room warning players not to bet on the games.
And Thursday's release also included this paragraph: "All three NFL partners agreed to adhere to the league’s core game integrity policies and will collaborate on intelligence sharing, advocacy efforts and responsible gambling initiatives. This includes working together to prohibit wagers the league finds objectionable, including bets tied to officiating and injuries, along with those that can be knowable in advance or easily manipulated by a single person."
Mind you, this is the league that requires teams to publish injury reports during the season, including one usually released about an hour before kickoff. Always wondered if that rule hampered or helped gamblers.
The online betting has been out of control for a few years and gets crazier every season. Watch an NFL game today and just about every commercial break has an ad for DraftKings or FanDuel. There are times I think Kevin Hart is playing in the NFL because he's on TV so often during games.
Think today's well-paid NFL players would not be tempted by someone seeking to fix a game? Ask the NBA, which is still dealing with the fallout from the news in October 2025 that a massive federal gambling and racketeering scandal led to the arrest and indictment of 34 individuals, "including prominent league figures." Prosecutors detailed "how confidential data regarding player injuries, tanking strategies, and planned early exits were funneled to professional gamblers to exploit over/under prop bets."
Hey, we know people gamble on NFL games, including millions competing in fantasy football leagues. It's one of the chief reasons the league remains the most popular sport in the U.S.
But does a league already worth billions have to get in bed with the DraftKings and FanDuels?
Wonder what Joe Namath thinks about that ...
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Joe Namath lost nightclub due to gambling ties. Now NFL touts betting
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