Last week, the NFL suspended Denver Broncos defensive lineman Eyioma Uwazurike indefinitely for breaking the league’s gambling policy.
There has been some confusion about the details of that policy — players can bet on other sports if they’re not at an NFL-related location, causing some misunderstandings — but there were no misunderstandings in Uwazurike’s case. The NFL specifically announced last week that the defensive end was suspended for gambling on NFL games.
While suspended, Uwazurike won’t be allowed to have any contact with the Broncos, a stipulation that has been criticized by Denver coach Sean Payton.
“When they want to kill somebody…when I got suspended, it was, ‘You can’t have no contact with anybody in the NFL,’” Payton said in an interview with USA TODAY last week. “Do we want these young men to still have a chance to learn from their mistakes?”
So what exactly happened with Uwazurike? More details have emerged in recent days. Here is everything we know so far.
Who is Eyioma Uwazurike?
Uwazurike, 25, played college football at Iowa State from 2016-2021, totaling 146 tackles and 15 sacks in five seasons (55 games). He was then picked by the Broncos in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL draft.
Uwazurike struggled to get on the field in the first half of his rookie season before breaking through as a rotational player later in the year. He appeared in eight games last fall, totaling 17 tackles in 165 snaps. Before the suspension, Uwazurike was expected to compete for a larger role at training camp this summer.
What did he do?
Some gambling policy offenses seem to be harmless mistakes, such as betting on a baseball game while in the locker room. (Betting on MLB games at home is allowed, but not at an NFL facility.) Uwazurike’s offenses do not appear to be harmless mistakes.
Here are some details via reporting from Travis Hines and Randy Peterson of the Des Moines Register:
The FanDuel account controlled by Uwazurike completed approximately 801 mobile on-line sports wagers, totaling “over $21,361,” the complaint states. Four of the wagers were on Iowa State football games in which he played – Sept. 11, 2021 against Iowa, and Oct. 2, 2021, against Kansas. Both games were played at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames.
Additionally, the complaint alleges that Uwazurike placed approximately 32 bets on Broncos teammates and Denver games last season. That means the defensive lineman might have been using inside information to make prop bets on his teammates and the outcomes of his own games.
Uwazurike is accused of betting on five total Broncos games, two of which he played in (against the Chiefs on Dec. 11 and against the Cardinals on Dec. 18). Breaking the NFL’s gambling policy is only a portion of his offenses.
Uwazurike is also accused of gambling on Iowa State games while he played at the college, making bets on FanDuel through Rachel Louise Francis to disguise his identity.
The complaint says Uwazurike “knowingly and intentionally [falsified] personal electronic sports wagering records by concealing his personal identity in said records with the intent to deceive or conceal a wrongdoing knowing he had no privilege or right to do so,” according to The Athletic.
What is the punishment?
These are serious allegations that could make an NFL suspension the least of Uwazurike’s worries.
So far, Uwazurike has been suspended indefinitely by the NFL. That suspension will last for at least one year. He might also face legal repercussions.
“Tampering with records is an aggravated misdemeanor in Iowa, punishable by up to two years in prison,” according to The Athletic.
When can he return?
Uwazurike will not be eligible to petition for reinstatement until July 24, 2024. In the meantime, he will not be allowed to be in contact with the Broncos. If he avoids prison and has his petition granted by the NFL next summer, Uwazurike could hypothetically return to the Broncos just before the start of training camp in 2024. There is a lot of uncertainty about what will happen between now and next July, though.
What will the Broncos do?
Payton’s comments about wanting to give players a second chance seem to suggest that Uwazurike could get a second chance with the Broncos if his suspension is lifted in 2024. At the time of publication, Denver has not released Uwazurike (he will not count against the roster while suspended).
The Broncos “fully cooperated with criminal investigation on gambling probe involving Uwazurike,” which means they were not caught off guard by the details that have emerged in recent reports, according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis.
The fact that Denver has not released him yet might suggest that Uwazurike could be given a second chance from the Broncos down the road.
