Earlier this offseason, Adam Thielen and the rest of the NFL's players, fans, and pundits watched as the league suspended half a dozen players at once. Now, not too much later, they've done it again.
Four players have been placed on suspension by the NFL due to gambling violations, according to ESPN.
Overnight, four players who had fought through the daily grind to get where they are today are suddenly on the ropes. Thielen's agent Blake Baratz took to Twitter to condemn the league's actions. Here's how he put it:
![march madness logo](http://staticg.sportskeeda.com/skm/assets/march-madness-logo.png)
"Hey NFL, get the f*** out of here for suspending players for gambling on other sports in the facility. So if they go outside buck naked 10 feet outside the doors it’s ok, but from the hot tub it isn’t? Get the f*** out of here. You’re taking in gambling partners for hundreds of millions and allowing a young man to ruin his life over $1500."
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He continued by calling the league "greedy":
"If you bet on football sure, that’s the death penalty, but $1500 on a basketball game. F*** off. That’s beyond greedy. Hypocrisy at best, a systemic barrier at worst. One of your 32 partners just sold their organization for $6B while breaking every moral, ethical, labor, and financial law in the f****** books. Have some perspective please."
Agents always seem to have an angle behind their words, as any pressure they place could turn into greater salaries for themselves and their clients. It is unclear if Baratz had an ulterior motive or simply lost his composure, as it is uncommon for people close to the league to condemn it in such an unfiltered manner.
Second batch of gambling violations puts Adam Thielen's fans on alert
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With Adam Thielen's agent coming out in such strong opposition to the gambling suspensions being handed down, one wonders if he knows a storm is coming for his clients. At this point, the batches of suspensions are the biggest single-act removal of players since the COVID-19 pandemic offered opt-outs.
As the offseason has continued, the Detroit Lions and Indianapolis Colts have seen their rosters lose players in an uncharacteristic fashion. Of the latest batch, Demetrius Taylor might have had the worst punishment overall.
The other three players are all active with teams, meaning that they'll have a place ready for them when they return. Taylor, expected to become a free agent in July, now needs to explain away the suspension in addition to proving that he has enough talent to get on an NFL roster.
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