The NFL is investigating the Cincinnati Bengals after they failed to list quarterback Joe Burrow on the injury report prior to Thursday night’s game despite indications the star QB was nursing a wrist injury, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.
“The NFL is investigating why the Bengals did not list QB Joe Burrow on their injury report when the team posted a picture of him wearing a device on his wrist Wednesday night and he appeared to be hampered by the injury early in the Thursday night game that he later left,” Schefter tweeted Friday.
The NFL is investigating why the Bengals did not list QB Joe Burrow on their injury report when the team posted a picture of him wearing a device on his wrist Wednesday night and he appeared to be hampered by the injury early in the Thursday night game that he later left, the… pic.twitter.com/xba8URiWri
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 17, 2023
Video circulated showing Burrow apparently wearing something Schefter said “looked like a soft cast on his thumb,” only to later delete the tweet. How suspicious.
The #Bengals are about to receive a big PUNISHMENT from the #NFL for NOT adding Joe Burrow to the injury report this week, despite clearly being injured. pic.twitter.com/uCHASN7rCB
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) November 17, 2023
Burrow ended up leaving Thursday night’s contest against the Baltimore Ravens with a wrist injury and was ruled out for the remainder of the game.
Head coach Zac Taylor later told reporters, “it looked like he sprained his wrist,” adding Burrow injured it during the game and, to Taylor’s knowledge, not prior to the contest. Taylor also said he “absolutely” felt good about Burrow’s injury status going into the matchup. (RELATED: Buffalo Bills Fire Offensive Coordinator Ken Dorsey After Atrocious Loss)
Some NFL fans aren’t buying it. “REFUND ALL BETS!!!!! You can’t do this in a legalized gambling world. REFUND ALL BETS!!!! JAIL FOR EVERYBODY.” tweeted Dave Portnoy, founder of Barstool Sports and prolific gambler.
REFUND ALL BETS!!!!! You can’t do this in a legalized gambling world. REFUND ALL BETS!!!! JAIL FOR EVERYBODY https://t.co/qEAa6c53UZ
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) November 17, 2023
Many pundits, including Schefter, have been quick to point out this type of investigation is “routine” and that the NFL takes injury report violations very seriously. The penalties could include fines, like the $75,000 the NFL fined the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2019 for allegedly misrepresenting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s injury status, or even be as harsh as a loss of draft picks, according to ESPN.
The NFL has always been somewhat scrupulous about injury reports, but it’s even more scrutinized in the age of legalized sports gambling, which has brought over $22 billion in revenue to sportsbooks since the practice’s legalization, according to the Legal Sports Report. The NFL has major partnerships with multiple sportsbooks, including FanDuel, Ceasar’s and DraftKings.