famous aggravator Rudy Gobert Angered another group of people on Friday night, though stand up That’s not newsworthy in and of itself, but it’s just something the French do for the sake of interesting technology. In the final seconds of Cleveland’s game against Minnesota, with the team leading by one, the Timberwolves center was whistled for his sixth foul and as he was leaving the court, he made a call to the referee to call Johnny Manziel The famous money gesture.
Darius Garland cashed in the freebie and sent it into overtime, where the Timberwolves trailed 16-7 before falling 113-104. It was Gobert’s second back-to-back game for an already short-handed team, and he later admitted his mistake but said the move was sincere.
“My reaction, I think is the truth – that’s what I truly believe – even if it’s the truth, now is not the time for me to react that way,” Gobert said afterwards. “I shouldn’t have done that. I cost my team the game and obviously, they couldn’t wait to give me a technique. That sucked. It was an immature reaction.
When asked to clarify his stance, the 11-year veteran center specifically mentioned the legalization of sports betting in the United States.
“I will grit my teeth again” gobert says. “I’m going to be the bad guy. I’m going to take the fine, but I think it’s going to hurt our game. I know the stakes are getting higher and everything, but it shouldn’t feel like this.
“I made some mistakes. I hit dunks in the air. Mistakes happen. Referees make mistakes. But sometimes I think it’s more than just mistakes. I think everybody in this league knows that. I think it has to get better. .
Expect NBA commissioner Adam Silver to happily fine him, as this is the league that had to fire a referee for doing exactly what Gobert suggested last night. Tim Donaghy, Tim Donaghy, Tim Donaghy. Sorry, I just wrote it almost three times to make sure it was safe to mention his name.
It’s only a matter of time before another game-fixing scandal happens. Just this week, more details about the project emerged. Team employees who embezzled $22 million from Jacksonville Jaguars. While Amit Patel’s actions had nothing to do with the integrity of the game, his lawyer said “99 percent” of the stolen funds were used to fuel his client’s gambling addiction.
Sports franchises and college programs need more oversight because sports betting apps now have paper records. Leagues and teams deserve to know if team employees have hundreds of thousands, not to mention millions, in gambling debt, as do the companies that do business with these leagues. I mean, God, Patel was gambling with the Jaguars’ corporate credit card. This should trigger some kind of flag.
I don’t want to virtue signal further, and I won’t because I don’t have to. Since sports betting became legal and more accessible in the United States, we have seen an increase in the incredible stupidity of coaches, players, and gambling addicts. There hasn’t been another Donaghy situation, but I should mention that the former NBA referee admitted to having a gambling problem in subsequent court proceedings, which resulted in him being sentenced to 15 months in prison.
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Rudy Gobert is right. One should not feel that betting is harming sports, but it does so more and more frequently.
