Almost 30 NFL players were forbidden to participate in the Starkey Hearing Foundation charity poker tournament, Raising Money for Africa. Some of the players included big names like Adrian Peterson of the Vikings and Larry Fitzgerald of the Cardinals.
It’s not that the NFL hates charity, they just aren’t getting paid enough to shell out their logo for the event. Additionally, as far as the NFL and its former players and charities go, it’s not exactly the most trusted practice, particularly in Dallas.
Just prior to the Super Bowl, the aforementioned Adrian Peterson played host a Celebrity Charity Poker event in which Larry Fitzgerald, Julius Peppers and several NFL players were participants. The event co-hosted by Phil Helmuth and raised funds for Adrian Peterson’s All Day Foundation. So it’s not charity that the NFL has a problem with.
In fact, enough time has been wasted trying to debate the NFL’s stance towards gambling, everyone already knows it doesn’t make sense. Even the NFL must know it doesn’t make sense to turn their backs on the gambling industry, which is probably why they’ve had Bodog’s NFL betting odds posted on their website multiple times.
The only concern the gaming industry should have towards the NFL right now is with what is happening behind closed doors regarding the CBA negotiations. A lockout is the one true way the NFL could screw us all over.
