Barstool Sports “El Prez” Dave Portnoy says he is suing the Cincinnati Bengals and the NFL because he lost a $120,000 bet after the team allegedly neglected to inform sports fans that QB Joe Burrow had an injury that could have — and eventually did — cause him to exit Thursday’s game early.
Portnoy says he lost the chuck of change after he placed the bet on the Bengals to cover as four-point underdogs during their game Thursday against the Baltimore Ravens.
The online sports commentator is furious that – he claims – the Bengals appeared to know ahead of time that Burrow had a possible game-ending injury but did not disclose it before the team went on to lose to the Ravens 34-20.
Now the team is saying Burrow is out for the rest of the season over the ligament injury in his throwing hand. It’s a hard loss for the man who only three months ago became the highest-paid player in the league.
But the NFL is now looking into questions as to whether the Bengals knew of Burrow’s hand problems before the game because the QB was seen arriving in Baltimore wearing a hand brace.
Lots of talk about a deleted #Bengals post, which showed Joe Burrow wearing some type of brace or sleeve on his right wrist.
— Caleb Noe (@CalebNoeTV) November 16, 2023
🎥 Here’s video of Burrow getting off the team bus in Baltimore.
Not a perfectly clear shot, but you can definitely see it on his hand.@WCPO pic.twitter.com/XcqX6oMODA
Portnoy apparently doesn’t need any investigation.
“I’m filing a class action lawsuit against the Bengals and NFL for lying about the injury report,” Portnoy wrote on X. “There is no shot I put 100k hard earned dollars on the Bengals if I knew Joe Burrow was injured going into the game. This committee owes me an apology!”
I'm filing a class action lawsuit against the Bengals and NFL for lying about the injury report. There is no shot I put 100k hard earned dollars on the Bengals if I knew Joe Burrow was injured going into the game. This committee owes me an apology!
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) November 17, 2023
He also showed fans a screenshot of his bet on the Bengals.
💣💣💣💣💣💣💣💣💣💣💣💣💣
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) November 17, 2023
I haven't given up on Bengals. pic.twitter.com/5WoymSGndO
But after the game, Portnoy was disgusted by the whole affair. At 10:54, he wrote, “This bet wasn’t fair,” and at 2:19 in the morning, he added, “ALL BETS REFUNDED!!!”
“REFUND ALL BETS!!!!!,” Portnoy tweeted. “You can’t do this in a legalized gambling world. “REFUND ALL BETS!!!! JAIL FOR EVERYBODY.”
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
CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT @nflcommish https://t.co/DBzPzDhI5a
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) November 17, 2023
Billions of dollars are wagered on NFL games annually. A staggering $7.61 billion was bet on the Super Bowl alone in 2022. In 2021, the NFL partnered with Caesars Entertainment, DraftKings, and FanDuel to become Official Sports Betting Partners of the NFL. As the league reported at the time, “…all three partners will have the exclusive ability to leverage NFL marks within the sports betting category and activate around retail and online sports betting. They will also engage with fans through NFL-themed free-to-play games.”
With the NFL officially entering the world of sports gambling and with sports gambling in general, and particularly NFL gambling, becoming an ever more lucrative business, the league could face serious financial setbacks and risk potentially losing its relationship with certain sportsbooks if it is proved that teams are not disclosing injuries.
These factors and others will weigh heavily on the NFL’s decision on how to address the Bengals’ situation if it is found out that the team willfully concealed Burrow’s injury.
Potential punishments for the Bengals include fines and forfeiture of draft picks. If gamblers lose faith in the league, possible consequences for the NFL could be far more severe.
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