Major League Soccer bans two former players for extensive gambling on matches

[asriloni]

It's not surprised me at all. Even guys in the bigger league than MLS was also getting caught for the similar problem. So it seems related to the an addictive problem owned by the players itself. However, financial reason could also become their reason to betting on themselves caused by they were not making tons of money from MLS.

[Cryptomultiplier]

This story points to the fact that the gambling industry makes huge money and these two players are just a tip of the iceberg from the pack of players and even officials and top personalities that influence matches and share  insider information just to earn much more than they currently do.
It's just the reality of today's system where godfatherism is a huge decider on who wins or losses.

[$crypto$]

It could be that behind it, they are willing to bet because there is big money involved in it, where the player already knows the information so bets on his own team.

I don't know if the two players are addicted to gambling? If they have been caught like this then obviously their careers have been destroyed especially since MLS has banned playing for life in their careers.

What a pity that player, sacrificing himself for gambling.

[danherbias07]

Ouch! They don't know it yet, but it will hurt in their pockets.

One who enters professional sport must stop all other bad habits/hobbies when they sign up. I doubt they have any idea about that because recently there have been many news reports of professional players being banned or fined due to gambling on their own stats or for their own team.
This is greed. They are not content with what they will receive from their allowances/contracts/salaries, and they want more as soon as possible. If proven guilty, they will probably be blacklisted, and they should start jobhunting outside their sport.

[Obim34]

I am still baffled at players like this who risk their well paying career that they most likely worked hard to get just for gambling.

source: https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/soccer/major-league-soccer-bans-two-former-players-extensive-gambling-matches-rcna262549

Being baffled for what is not new, there are many more gamblers still doing the same. Only who gets caught receives the punishment, those players are earning massively, what really makes them to indulge in such act is what we can never know, the profits they will make from gambling isn't better than their total salaries for a month or cumulatively for six months if the stake is big.

[tabas]

I am still baffled at players like this who risk their well paying career that they most likely worked hard to get just for gambling.

They're tempted. I guess that they're the ones who are making this circle that's composed of other bettors. Likely friends, fans and relatives who they're giving the benefit of them as their personal insiders. There are these players that are being paid well and yet, not satisfied to how much contracts they sign and have to go with some side lines of betting to and against their own games. This isn't the first time to see pro players that have bet for their own games, and there will be more of it for sure in the near future for each sports where betting is possible because it has been part of the sports industry too.

[EluguHcman]

I am still baffled at players like this who risk their well paying career that they most likely worked hard to get just for gambling.

It is indeed a mess of the players that after haven being oriented with the games policies and the T&Cs they could still break the agreement. Very sad hearing how they had sabotaged their professions like.

Unfortunately how smart they think of rebelling the industries all just to make extra pays. That is a significant of lack of Integrities of the two players.
Worse of it is that... As a lifetime ban protocol is observed, these two guys maybe not be able to enroll on anybody the official football competition again and as a matter of fact, it is difficult for any competition to trust or hire them again.

[Fiatless]

I saw this yesterday. Major League Soccer has decided to ban Derrick Jones and Yaw Yeboah for life after finding out that the two players are involved in extensive gambling activity during their 2024 and 2025 seasons. It was also found out that the two players are betting on their own matches. The MLS also concluded that the two players had most likely shared inside information with other bettors.

Just as additional info, the two players were first put on administrative leave pending a league review for potential rules violations in October 2025 before being banned for life by the MLS after they concluded their investigation this month.

I am still baffled at players like this who risk their well paying career that they most likely worked hard to get just for gambling.

source: https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/soccer/major-league-soccer-bans-two-former-players-extensive-gambling-matches-rcna262549

If these players are investigated further, more facts might prove that they spend these wins on luxury. These players are driven by greed or lack of contentment. Some of them also thought that they might not be caught, which is foolishness. They fail to know that in this technological age, the investigation of criminal activities is now easier.

Jones, 29, and Yeboah, 28, just destroyed a career they have sacrificed to build. At these ages, they would have still been active in the MJS for about five years or more. I hope that this ban could be reduced; a life ban is too harsh for me.

[rdluffy]

Both are under 30 and still have a few years of soccer ahead of them. It would be a shame if this were true and a huge waste of their careers, not to mention bad faith towards the sport and the clubs that pay them to play soccer 

The number of players discovered placing bets of this type will continue to grow, and at the same time it will be difficult to combat because there are many prediction markets without KYC that can be used by the players themselves or third parties

[Davidvictorson]

I am still baffled at players like this who risk their well paying career that they most likely worked hard to get just for gambling.

I am happy when I read these type of news. It is a lesson to those you think they cannot be caught. I still cannot comprehend the logic behind why some of the players throw their potential careers away all because of some quick bucks. Life is so simple that if you follow the rules and work hard you are bound to make it just as others have, sadly not everyone is patient and they usually end up paying for their impatience.

[Slow death]

When I read about this case a few weeks ago, I confess I asked myself the question most people ask themselves when they read news like this: why would an athlete who already earns a lot of money on their team make sports bets knowing that it would result in a ban and the permanent loss of their high salary?

And I confess that the only answer I can come to is that we are dealing with cases of addiction, not someone betting for entertainment. Unfortunately, addiction is a very complicated mental illness to deal with, and even when the addict knows they can't bet, they can't stop.

Now the future of these former players is lost; they need to focus on psychological treatment to overcome their addiction and find other things to do in life.

[Charles-Tim]

I am happy when I read these type of news. It is a lesson to those you think they cannot be caught.

But do you know that this is not the last that we are going to read about? Another ones are coming and other ones that is directly linked to manipulations just like some that we have seen and read in the past.

I still cannot comprehend the logic behind why some of the players throw their potential careers away all because of some quick bucks.

This may be beyond quick box for these people. They could have manipulated some matches and in a way that there would be some hidden deals that can give them huge returns. Yes, in overall, it is still just about greed.

[Mhizlove]

I understand how frustrating it is because cheating in sports can spoil the game, but the punishment that was giving especially when it's too much or extreme it won't solve the problem. The main aim is to make sure that the rules are clear and give strong punishment or penalties for the defaulters something like removing their title or long ban won't be a bad idea so that others will learn from it

If league like this remains Strict and is transparent in a case like this when players betting Matches, it will send a strong message to other players saying that integrity in the game isn't something to joke or play with. The goal or the main aim is to protect game and not to destroy it or people totally

[Mindyspace]

I also saw that news and it's hard to understand. Derrick Jones and Yaw Yeboah had good careers in Major League Soccer and ended up risking everything because of gambling, even more so betting on their own games.

When a player does that, it calls into question the integrity of the matches. If they actually shared inside information, the situation is even worse. In the end, the league didn't have much choice but to ban them both. Even so, it's shocking to see athletes throw away their careers like that.

[lodocus]

I'm also surprised that players whose careers are progressing well and who are earning such good money that they don't need any more get involved in gambling. Generally, the amounts they gamble are not significant enough to put their careers at risk. I guess it's like they're looking for another thrill because they've been immersed in soccer their whole lives.

Right now, we all think that if we had the chance to be footballers, we would definitely not get involved in such things, but when you want something, when you want to cross the line, sometimes you can't help but do it, no matter how ridiculous the idea may be.

I think it's the right decision to completely ban footballers who gamble or are involved in gambling from the game. Their job is just to go out and play their matches, and that's how it should stay.

[macson]

I think that this problem runs deep even in the major leagues. It's unlikely that these two players are the only ones involved, there are definitely more players and parties involved, but they have not been revealed to the public, but to be sure that the number may be more than what we imagine.

I am still baffled at players like this who risk their well paying career that they most likely worked hard to get just for gambling.

It's probably the temptation of more money that makes them risk their careers to get involved. Perhaps they feel protected by their fame or by those close to them doing similar things, so they feel it's okay to do so. But it's still a pretty stupid thing to do when they've built a career for years just for a short-term gain that's not worth it.

[alani123]

I saw this yesterday. Major League Soccer has decided to ban Derrick Jones and Yaw Yeboah for life after finding out that the two players are involved in extensive gambling activity during their 2024 and 2025 seasons. It was also found out that the two players are betting on their own matches. The MLS also concluded that the two players had most likely shared inside information with other bettors.

Just as additional info, the two players were first put on administrative leave pending a league review for potential rules violations in October 2025 before being banned for life by the MLS after they concluded their investigation this month.

I am still baffled at players like this who risk their well paying career that they most likely worked hard to get just for gambling.

source: https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/soccer/major-league-soccer-bans-two-former-players-extensive-gambling-matches-rcna262549

Major League Soccer knows they're a growing sport in the USA and want to keep integrity high. MLS had an average attendance of around 22k per match. Still for the US they can do a lot better. But certainly making the fans understand that the league is serious helps.

I just wish more countries would do more to keep integrity among their players high. In greece for instance the licensed sports betting sites are operated under shell companies so it could even be a very realistic posibility that team owners hold a stake in gambling sites which would be a huge conflict of interest. But the state never bothered to check as they're buddy buddy with the oligarchs owning teams.

[Moreno233]

The knew the rule of their profession yet went ahead and violated them, the ban was to discourage others from doing same. I wonder how much they intend to win from that will make them put their well paying career on the line. I don't want to believe that this is addiction because it isn't addiction, they were just being greedy and unsatisfied with the money they are paid in their job even when such is one if the highest paying career.

[Coyster]

I am not sure i have seen players banned for life for gambling. I know of very long suspensions, but not life bans. Though i support this verdict, i don't think sports men should be gambling excessively in the sports they actively participate in.

During an October 2024 match, both players bet on Jones to get a yellow card, according to the investigation. Jones did, in fact, receive the card.

Actions like this bring the game to disrepute and that is why the league has come in very hard on them and now they would have to look at other professions.

[rdluffy]

I am not sure i have seen players banned for life for gambling. I know of very long suspensions, but not life bans. Though i support this verdict, i don't think sports men should be gambling excessively in the sports they actively participate in.

During an October 2024 match, both players bet on Jones to get a yellow card, according to the investigation. Jones did, in fact, receive the card.

Actions like this bring the game to disrepute and that is why the league has come in very hard on them and now they would have to look at other professions.

I believe that Yellow Card bets must be the easiest to manipulate
I can't think of any type of bet easier than this in soccer

Anyone who plays or watches knows that to receive a yellow card, all you have to do is commit one or two hard fouls during the game and you're sure to receive that card
You can also put the hand in the ball for example...

Brazilian player Lucas Paquetá has also made this type of bet