After the NBA was rocked by a massive gambling scandal last week that saw a Hall of Fame player charged for his alleged role, an NFL legend reportedly has connections to one of the men indicted by the FBI.
Antonio Gates, a Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end who played for the NFL’s Chargers, reportedly hosted and participated in an allegedly rigged poker game that was organized by Curtis Meeks — who was indicted last week by U.S. federal prosecutors.
The report by investigative journalist Pablo Torre came Sunday afternoon, a day after the New York Post published a report that a former NFL star was involved in an allegedly rigged game set up by Meeks.
The outlet reported a person and his friends were allegedly scammed out of nearly $1 million US at the game, during which an NFLer served as the celebrity “face card.” The person did not name the NFL athlete in the Post’s report.
On Thursday, the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers and a player from the Miami Heat were charged along with more than 30 other people in a takedown of two sprawling gambling operations that authorities said leaked inside information about NBA athletes and rigged poker games backed by Mafia families.
Portland coach Chauncey Billups was charged with participating in a conspiracy to allegedly fix high-stakes card games tied to La Cosa Nostra organized crime families that cheated unsuspecting gamblers out of at least $7 million.
MONEY LAUNDERING, CONSPIRACY CHARGES
Heat guard Terry Rozier was accused in a separate scheme of exploiting private information about players to win bets on NBA games.
Both men face money laundering and wire fraud conspiracy charges. Also charged was former NBA assistant coach and player Damon Jones, who stands accused of participating in both schemes.
Gates was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August after spending his entire 16-year NFL career with the Chargers – including 14 seasons in San Diego and two in Los Angeles.
Gates is considering one of the best tight ends to play the game, recording 11,841 receiving yards and 116 receiving touchdowns in his illustrious career.
–With files from The Associated Press.