Jets wide receivers coach Miles Austin has been suspended for a violation of the league’s gambling policy, according to an NFL source.
Austin, 38, did not gamble on NFL games, according to a statement provided by Austin’s attorney, Bill Deni of Gibbons P.C. In the statement, Deni says that Austin “wager[ed] from a legal mobile account on table games and non-NFL professional sports.” Deni adds that Austin is appealing the suspension and has cooperated with the league’s investigation.
The suspension is for a minimum of one year, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Rich Cimini.
View the original article to see embedded media.
In the latest version of the NFL’s gambling policy for personnel, revised in 2022, Section 2.2 expressly prohibits any “full-time, part-time personnel including League office employees, club employees, players, owners, athletic trainers, game officials security personnel, game-day stadium personnel and other staff, consultants and temporary contract workers” from gambling on any sport.
However, it does provide a loophole for players to gamble on non-NFL sports.
The policy reads: “All NFL Personnel other than Players are further prohibited from placing, soliciting, or facilitating bets on any other professional (e.g., NBA, MLB, NHL, PGA, USTA, MLS), college (e.g., NCAA basketball), international (e.g., World Baseball Classic, World Cup), or amateur (e.g., Olympic, AAU) sports competition, tournament or event.”
Charles LeClaire/USA TODAY Sports
Austin has been a wide receivers coach in the NFL since 2019, when he became a quality-control coach with the 49ers. He became part of the Jets’ staff in ’21. Despite inconsistent quarterback play the wide receiving corps, led by star rookie Garrett Wilson, has helped buoy the offense along with a strong running game.
Austin played in the NFL from 2006 to ’15, compiling 5,273 receiving yards and 38 total touchdowns. He spent two years as a front-office intern for Dallas, where he played the majority of his career.
Austin is the second high-profile case of an NFL suspension for gambling in the past year, with then Falcons and now Jaguars receiver Calvin Ridley receiving a year-long suspension for making a handful of bets on NFL games totalling less than $4,000. It is unclear how much Austin wagered on non-NFL casino games and other sports bets.
The suspension calls into question the optics of a league that profits mightily from its relationships to various gambling entities and frequently advertises their services but asks its league personnel not to participate in non-NFL gambling activities.
The NFL lists four specific types of permissible gambling for all employees:
• League, club, or partner-sponsored skills competitions (e.g., racquetball tournaments, “Club Olympics” events) for prizes, provided that there is no wagering on the outcome.
• “Casino nights” or similar events for charity, provided that no money or items of value are wagered and all proceeds from the event are donated to a legally recognized charity.
• Legally operated fantasy sports games (i.e., contests in which participants assemble imaginary teams comprised of real players from professional sports and compete based on the statistical performance of the real players), subject to the limitations set forth in Section 7 of this Policy.
• Free-to-play games or contests that involve predicting elements of live sporting events, provided that: (a) the game or contest is not considered gambling under applicable law; (b) NFL Personnel are eligible to participate under the applicable game/contest rules; and (c) no NFL Personnel may accept prizes valued in excess of Two Hundred Fifty Dollars ($250) in the aggregate over the course of a season in any such game or contest, if based on NFL games or events.
NFL personnel who participate in fantasy football leagues are not allowed to accept more than $250 in prizes, or participate in “Daily” fantasy football contests.
Austin missed a critical Week 16 Thursday night game against the Jaguars, with both teams vying for a playoff berth. The Jets lost 19–3, falling to 7–8, a half-game behind the Patriots for third place in the AFC East. They remain in contention for a wild-card spot with two games left.
