Bears are making sure they don't catch NFL's gambling bug
As we all know, the NFL is cracking down on those who violate its gambling policy, with the Detroit Lions being hit the hardest, so far. In order to make sure his players avoid the fray, Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus is spearheading an information campaign next week in hopes of making sure none […]
As we all know, the NFL is cracking down on those who violate its gambling policy, with the Detroit Lions being hit the hardest, so far.
In order to make sure his players avoid the fray, Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus is spearheading an information campaign next week in hopes of making sure none of his players violate the policy.
"So when that one incident came up -I don't know how long ago that was- the first incident, you know, with a couple teams," started Eberflus, "that came up and we immediately talked about it the next day. We went through the rules – what we're allowed to do and not to do, as players. And we'll do something again next week. So next week, we'll actually have an official NFL group come in, we're going to do that midweek next week. It's one of the mandatory presentations that the NFL gives and they're going to come in and do that I think it's the appropriate time…
"… I lead it. Anything that comes up like that issue with players, I'm gonna lead that charge and, obviously, I elicit help throughout the building, like the staff members that have expertise in that field. We will definitely do that."
NFL officials overseeing the education of players have been adamant about their attempts to educate players and teams. They've been firm regarding the cogency of the "lesson plan", so to speak and according to them, "there should be no misunderstanding on the policies". However, as we've seen, that's not the case.
Either players haven't been educated as the NFL believes, or they're just ignoring the rules. It's a tough road to travel down, but Eberflus and co. are going to dial in next week and make sure every player on the Bears roster knows what they can and cannot do moving forward.
So far, six players, in total, have been suspended and two more are currently under investigation.
"It's hard to navigate because it's hard to control other people's actions," said Eberflus. But all you can do is educate and tell them the appropriate actions they can do with certain things."
Featured image via Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports
