Shaw hit with long ban for betting

Josh Shaw has been banned until February 2021 for betting on NFL games

Arizona Cardinals safety Josh Shaw has been suspended until the end of the 2020 season for betting on NFL games.

Shaw, who has been on injured reserve since August, will not be eligible to apply for reinstatement until February 2021 after placing bets on multiple occasions this season.

The 27-year-old’s betting activity was investigated by the league but their probe did not find evidence indicating his use of any inside information or that any game had been compromised.

The investigation also found no evidence his team-mates, coaches or other players were aware of his betting.

As part of the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement, Shaw has three days to launch an appeal against the sanction.

Shaw was a fourth-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2015 and played in all bar one of their 48 regular season games in his three years with the franchise.

He played in eight games last season between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers before being released and failed to make it as far as the 2019 regular season after injuring his shoulder in a pre-season clash with the Los Angeles Chargers.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said: “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 those who participate in the league.

“At the core of this responsibility is the long-standing principle that betting on NFL games, or 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.

“If you work in the NFL in any capacity you may not bet on NFL football.”