Jaylen Brown calls out NBA for handling of sports betting: ‘A lot more could have been done’
NEW YORK — Jaylen Brown believes the NBA has not done enough to protect players from the negative consequences of sports gambling. Speaking one day after former Celtics teammate Terry Rozier was arrested as part of a sweeping, years-long federal investigation into alleged illegal sports betting activity, Brown said the NBA’s approach to gambling in recent years has hurt players and led to preventable problems. “Me personally, that whole world was introduced a couple years ago, and I don’t think they took players into consideration, especially with the energy and the behavior that goes around gambling and how that directly correlates to players,” Brown said after Friday’s morning shootaround at Madison Square Garden. “We don’t benefit from any of the profits or anything like that, but we’ve got to deal with a lot of the extra negativity and scrutiny behind all the gambling stuff. And then on top of that, it creates more integrity issues, etc. So I’m not sure what the answer is going forward, but definitely something that people have got to spend more time having conversations about.” The popularity of and access to sports betting have exploded since a 2018 Supreme Court decision struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, giving states the choice to legalize gambling. Brown, a vice president of the National Basketball Players Association, argued that the NBA has prioritized betting-related profits over player welfare. “I think a lot more could have been done to help players and prepare players,” Brown said. “But even in the aftermath, I don’t think little care or attention to detail goes into it. They’re like, ‘You make X amount of money or X, Y and Z; you should be able to deal with all the extra negativity, the people approaching you, the parlays.’ It creates a negative discourse around the game and players when people have money involved. “Obviously, it’s a part of it, but definitely some of the experiences, the fan engagement, the fan interactions that we’ve had over the years where fans feel like they can come on the court and touch players and things like that, it’s leading to situations that we can avoid if more conversations were had right now.” Brown said, from his perspective as a players’ union leader, there has been “little to no conversation around” plans to “protect players more with the (current) environment.” “It’s all about, a lot of times, ‘How can we increase business and increase revenue?’” he said. “And I’m not sure if we’re having enough conversations (about), ‘What is the aftermath of the consequences some of that stuff has?’” Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and former NBA player and coach Damon Jones also were among the more than 30 individuals arrested Thursday in connection with two federal gambling probes. Rozier is accused of manipulating his performance in a March 2023 game, while he was playing for the Charlotte Hornets, in order to cash “under” prop bets, then profiting from the winnings. Billups is accused of participating in an alleged Mafia-backed scheme to rig poker games. Jones was charged in both investigations. Brown, who played three seasons with Rozier in Boston, said the accusations against the current Miami Heat guard are “not conducive of his character.” “I guess it was kind of crazy, kind of seeing all the stuff going on,” Brown said. “Sometimes it’s hard to tell what’s real and what’s not online and on the internet because there’s so much misinformation, so I didn’t really have no reaction. I guess we’ll get to the bottom of it and see what’s what. Until then, everything is yet to be determined.”
