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Gambling is the elephant in the room
Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2026 5:28 pm
by Dan Smith--BYU
Are any professional sports worth our time with obviously "blown" calls like in the Bills game or in the first Ravens/Steelers game?
https://www.totalprosports.com/nfl/fans ... me-rigged/
When the league was entirely separate from gambling you could make the case that these were just mistakes.
Now everything is Chinatown, Jake. We should follow the movie's advice and just let it go.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archi ... ke/679925/
Re: Gambling is the elephant in the room
Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2026 5:33 pm
by .Kodiak
What obvious blown calls in the BUF game?
The last DPI the DB tackled the receiver before the ball got there. The interception the receiver was going to the ground, did not SURVIVE the ground, but the ball never touched the turf and ended up in the hands of the DB.
Both calls were 100% correct. Not "not overturnable" but correct.
Re: Gambling is the elephant in the room
Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2026 5:36 pm
by DumlinBumlinStumlin
Seen enough replays. They were correct
Re: Gambling is the elephant in the room
Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2026 5:50 pm
by swissvale72
Agreed...seemed correct.
Re: Gambling is the elephant in the room
Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2026 6:05 pm
by Dan Smith--BYU
"football move"=flexibility to save the house money
Re: Gambling is the elephant in the room
Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2026 6:07 pm
by Dan Smith--BYU
Well Stanford grad and former all-pro DB and former NFL QB disagree with you:
https://x.com/RSherman_25/status/201291 ... 6551389282
Re: Gambling is the elephant in the room
Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2026 6:12 pm
by jeemie
.Kodiak wrote: ↑Sun Jan 18, 2026 5:33 pm
What obvious blown calls in the BUF game?
The last DPI the DB tackled the receiver before the ball got there. The interception the receiver was going to the ground, did not SURVIVE the ground, but the ball never touched the turf and ended up in the hands of the DB.
Both calls were 100% correct. Not "not overturnable" but correct.
The problem is plays like this are called inconsistently.
The play where Aaron Rodgers got his own batter pass back, and it was being stripped away as he fell to the ground was just like this...and there, the officials ruled him down by contact.
It's the inconsistency that makes people suspicious.
Yesterday was also made worse because it was New York and expedited replay assist they made the call and not the officials.
I'm not saying they got the call wrong. Just saying what it looks like.
Re: Gambling is the elephant in the room
Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2026 6:21 pm
by Jtf
swissvale72 wrote: ↑Sun Jan 18, 2026 5:50 pm
Agreed...seemed correct.
lol how mad would you be buddy if those calls went against Steelers ? Come on admit it. lol. I would be pissed if they went against my team.
I like your calm , yes both seem correct since it doesn’t affect Steelers. This board would be up in arms if this happened to Steelers. Couldn’t care less as I hate buffalo so fuck them
Re: Gambling is the elephant in the room
Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2026 6:34 pm
by Orlaco
Neil O’Donnell probably got paid by Larry Brown…
Re: Gambling is the elephant in the room
Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2026 6:35 pm
by Orangesteel
I didn’t mind the INT call.
I thought the DPI calls were particularly weak and shame that they resulted in 47 yards of offense that didn’t happen to decide the game.
Of course betting is part of it.
Re: Gambling is the elephant in the room
Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2026 6:47 pm
by swissvale72
Jtf wrote: ↑Sun Jan 18, 2026 6:21 pm
swissvale72 wrote: ↑Sun Jan 18, 2026 5:50 pm
Agreed...seemed correct.
lol how mad would you be buddy if those calls went against Steelers ? Come on admit it. lol. I would be pissed if they went against my team.
I like your calm , yes both seem correct since it doesn’t affect Steelers. This board would be up in arms if this happened to Steelers. Couldn’t care less as I hate buffalo so fuck them
Ohhh....I'd be outta my fuckin mind!!! I was rooting for the Bills.
Re: Gambling is the elephant in the room
Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2026 9:42 pm
by CKSteeler
jeemie wrote: ↑Sun Jan 18, 2026 6:12 pm
.Kodiak wrote: ↑Sun Jan 18, 2026 5:33 pm
What obvious blown calls in the BUF game?
The last DPI the DB tackled the receiver before the ball got there. The interception the receiver was going to the ground, did not SURVIVE the ground, but the ball never touched the turf and ended up in the hands of the DB.
Both calls were 100% correct. Not "not overturnable" but correct.
The problem is plays like this are called inconsistently.
The play where Aaron Rodgers got his own batter pass back, and it was being stripped away as he fell to the ground was just like this...and there, the officials ruled him down by contact.
It's the inconsistency that makes people suspicious.
Yesterday was also made worse because it was New York and expedited replay assist they made the call and not the officials.
I'm not saying they got the call wrong. Just saying what it looks like.
It's this right here at the top. The inconsistency and the complete and utter confusion even regular or hard core fans have over the rules at this point.
There's 50 judgement calls and somehow we see the same crews or the guys in NY call them differently sometimes in the same game but definitely in the same week and throughout the season.
You'll have crews not call something all game like holding on the OL or anything on the secondary really and then just suddenly the field gets littered with laundry in crunch time and it swings the game.
If as a ref you are going to eat your flags for 55 minutes and call something one way all game and then decide to change it up at the last second, that's a major issue for me as a fan. Guys get attuned to the flow of the game and what they're getting away with and then you change the rules up on them basically.
Also, I think the call on the interception was correct, but where's the line between that and the Rodgers play as stated?
Re: Gambling is the elephant in the room
Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2026 9:44 pm
by CKSteeler
What I described above happens so much in such high profile games and with pretty much every crew doing it that I can't really buy that it's just good old fashion incompetence or coincidence at this point.
And how the hell do you justify centralizing the review process so you'd have the same guy or small group making the decisions and then sit there and watch them judge the same rule or type of play completely differently IN THE SAME GAME! This isn't even an exaggeration. We've all seen it. Some of you may tune it out or make rationalizations, but it's most definitely there and occurring.
Re: Gambling is the elephant in the room
Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2026 10:50 pm
by Dan Smith--BYU
And once again obvious DPI by NE missed by the crew but not like this is a playoff game or anything.
Re: Gambling is the elephant in the room
Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2026 6:51 pm
by Dan Smith--BYU
https://pjmedia.com/rick-moran/2026/01/ ... s-n4948511
key takeaway:
"Short of driving sports books back underground, we're just going to have to live with the probability that no one will be able to trust that players and others associated with a sport aren't deliberately trying to lose or underperform to satisfy the spread or a parlay."
Re: Gambling is the elephant in the room
Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2026 8:18 pm
by langer
Oh someone got injured.
Hmm, will that be an "injury"?
Was it a Bear that got something in his eye and sat out, then came back in?
Lots of money at stake.
Re: Gambling is the elephant in the room
Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2026 8:27 pm
by Dan Smith--BYU
it can even be affected by staged injuries in practice...there are so many ways to cheat
Re: Gambling is the elephant in the room
Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2026 9:03 pm
by StillMadAtSlobber
Orlaco wrote: ↑Sun Jan 18, 2026 6:34 pm
Neil O’Donnell probably got paid by Larry Brown…
No, dumbfuck Corey Halliday couldn't run the right route, twice.
Losing Mills fucked us, not Neil.
Re: Gambling is the elephant in the room
Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2026 9:26 pm
by Mick
.Kodiak wrote: ↑Sun Jan 18, 2026 5:33 pm
What obvious blown calls in the BUF game?
The last DPI the DB tackled the receiver before the ball got there. The interception the receiver was going to the ground, did not SURVIVE the ground, but the ball never touched the turf and ended up in the hands of the DB.
Both calls were 100% correct. Not "not overturnable" but correct.
the first pass interference call on the last drive, which put them in field goal range and effectively declared Denver winner, was 100% wrong.
The other calls were fine.
Re: Gambling is the elephant in the room
Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2026 9:47 pm
by LakecrestSteeler
There was just an article about arrests in Pennsylvania. Maybe you are looking at the corruption model incorrectly. It would appear the latest gambling trend is to go after the players and recruit and bribe. Referee pool is too small and easier to isolate and investigate by authorities, so maybe they are just doing what they have always done.
https://www.justice.gov/usao-edpa/pr/26 ... a-cba-mens
Re: Gambling is the elephant in the room
Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2026 10:05 pm
by anpsteel
LakecrestSteeler wrote: ↑Wed Jan 21, 2026 9:47 pm
There was just an article about arrests in Pennsylvania. Maybe you are looking at the corruption model incorrectly. It would appear the latest gambling trend is to go after the players and recruit and bribe. Referee pool is too small and easier to isolate and investigate by authorities, so maybe they are just doing what they have always done.
https://www.justice.gov/usao-edpa/pr/26 ... a-cba-mens
Remember
The NFL is not registered as a sports league
It’s registered as an entertainment business
Re: Gambling is the elephant in the room
Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2026 10:50 pm
by Dan Smith--BYU
"The NFL is not registered as a sports league
It’s registered as an entertainment business"
Fun fact: the PGA tour is a nonprofit charity
Re: Gambling is the elephant in the room
Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2026 12:25 am
by LakecrestSteeler
Dan Smith--BYU wrote: ↑Wed Jan 21, 2026 10:50 pm
"The NFL is not registered as a sports league
It’s registered as an entertainment business"
Fun fact: the PGA tour is a nonprofit charity
Another fun fact….many corporate headquarters are public museums that have “art” quietly on display.
PepsiCo and Frito both take advantage of this corporate tax loophole in NY and TX; robust tax breaks as examples…I know there are others.
And the human head ways 6 pounds.
Re: Gambling is the elephant in the room
Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2026 3:49 am
by Jtf
swissvale72 wrote: ↑Sun Jan 18, 2026 6:47 pm
Jtf wrote: ↑Sun Jan 18, 2026 6:21 pm
swissvale72 wrote: ↑Sun Jan 18, 2026 5:50 pm
Agreed...seemed correct.
lol how mad would you be buddy if those calls went against Steelers ? Come on admit it. lol. I would be pissed if they went against my team.
I like your calm , yes both seem correct since it doesn’t affect Steelers. This board would be up in arms if this happened to Steelers. Couldn’t care less as I hate buffalo so fuck them
Ohhh....I'd be outta my fuckin mind!!! I was rooting for the Bills.
What that fan base is the biggest cry babies ever. Fuck then