NFL Suspends Cardinals Exec for Draft Gambling Violations

^{The director of college scouting for the Arizona Cardinals was suspended by the NFL for allegedly providing inside info prior to the 2026 draft. (Photo: Morten Larsen / Alamy)}

Arizona Cardinals executive Ryan Gold is facing an indefinite suspension for violating the NFL’s gambling policy, though he is appealing the league’s decision.

Gold, the director of college scouting for the Cardinals, was suspended Friday after the NFL said he had provided inside information on Arizona’s selections in the 2026 draft before those picks were publicly announced.

Parlays, Draft Knowledge Under Scrutiny

In addition, the league has accused Gold of making parlay bets on both NFL and college football games. Gold has worked with the Cardinals for 13 years, and has worked in college scouting for the team since 2018.

“The Gambling Policy, which is annually reviewed with all NFL personnel, strictly prohibits anyone in the NFL from participating in or facilitating any form of sports gambling, and from providing third parties non-public information,” the league said in a statement. “Although there is no reason to believe the integrity of any NFL game was affected, the League takes any violation of the Gambling Policy with the utmost seriousness.”

Under NFL rules, players and staff members cannot place bets on NFL football, take any action to attempt to manipulate any aspect of an NFL game, or share confidential information about any NFL game or player. In addition, team and league staff members aren’t allowed to place bets on other sports, while players can do so if it is done legally when not on team grounds or travelling with their team.

Attorney: Gold Allegations ‘Blatantly False’

On Sunday, an attorney for Gold said the executive planned to appeal the decision, strongly denying the allegations.

“Ryan Gold has been an outstanding NFL executive for over a decade,” attorney Mike Caspino told ESPN. “The accusations made by the league regarding his participation in prohibited gambling activities are blatantly false. We have demanded an appeal, and we look forward to clearing his good name.”

According to Caspino, the appeal rests on two grounds. First, on the matter of the parlay bets, the attorney says that those wagers – which he described as $10 bets – were made weekly by Gold’s wife, who did so with a group of high school friends. According to Caspino, Gold was not involved with those bets.

Secondly, Caspino says that Gold could not have revealed draft picks being made by the Cardinals because he didn’t have that information. According to the lawyer, only Arizona team owner Michael Bidwill and general manager Monti Ossenfort knew who the Cardinals were taking with each draft pick.

But while it may be true that only Ossenfort and Bidwill had the definitive, final information on Arizona’s selections, Gold would have had significant input into that process, and likely saw the Cardinals’ draft board, meaning he could have had information useful to bettors even if he wasn’t entirely guaranteed to be correct.

For their part, the Cardinals say they “fully support the league’s decision.”

“The NFL’s policies and expectations for all employees are clear, comprehensive, and consistently communicated,” the team said in a statement. “Our focus remains on preparing for the start of training camp next week and the 2026 season.”

The NFL and other sports leagues have increasingly made strong partnerships with sportsbooks and prediction markets, with some lawmakers asking for more details on those relationships.