On July 24, the NFL announced an indefinite suspension for Denver Broncos defensive linemanEyioma Uwazurike. After his suspension, the front office brought in veteran Shelby Harris for a visit in the event they need to add to the position. Uwazurike was a possible breakout candidate for the Broncos in 2023.
Uwazurike was selected with the fourth-round draft pick that the Broncos got in the Russell Wilson trade last year with Seattle.
Another indefinite gambling suspension. pic.twitter.com/wqGo4y2hq9
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 24, 2023
He became the 11th player in the league to be suspended due to gambling policy violations. He is suspended for at least the entire 2023-2024 season. Updates on the situation were published on Wednesday, and for now, the team has not yet released him.
It was reported that Uwazurike placed over 30 bets on Denver Broncos games and player props during his rookie season and that he placed bets on two games he played for the Iowa State Cyclones back in his college days.
A criminal complainant from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation states that Eyioma is accused of the following ...
""He is accused of placing wagers in two games he played in while a Cyclone in 2021. Uwazurike placed wagers on Iowa State’s games against Iowa and Kansas that year, authorities allege in the Tuesday filing. The FanDuel account controlled by Uwazurike placed 32 wagers on Broncos games and players from September through December in 2022.""Des Moines Register
Criminal charges could get him a longer suspension by the NFL. The tampering problem is something that the NFL does not tolerate. It was also reported that Uwazurike had 801 wagers, winning $21,361.00 for them. Out of the 801, 32 were regarding the Broncos.
Sports betting is legal in the state of Iowa, but what puts Eyioma in this situation, is that he 'manipulated' the bets, so it did not look as he placed them, and it looked as if someone else placed them. With this complaint, Eyioma could be taken to prison.