MLB Umpire Pat Hoberg Canned For Sharing Betting Accounts, Whatever That Means

I'm a man of my word and wrote that I would "provide further details when they are announced" about umpire Pat Hoberg appealing MLB's decision to fire him for possibly violating gambling policies in June 2024. Well, the league reached a decision Monday, February 3rd, and it isn't good for Hoberg's employment status. 

My assumption of his suspension rather than an immediate ban meaning "Hoberg didn't bet on MLB games himself" was correct. Unfortunately for the 38-year-old now-former umpire, he still failed "to conform to high standards of personal conduct and to maintain the integrity of the game of baseball", per MLB. 

Hoberg used his "personal device" (cell phone, tablet, or computer) to bet on his friend's sportsbook account. According to MLB's official statement, Hoberg deleted the messages between him and his friend because "he was embarrassed by the frequency and volume of his legal non-baseball betting activity". 

At first, I wondered, "Why the f*** is Hoberg betting on a friend's account instead of the one he legally created?" After reading the MLB's press release, I have two guesses. First, if he had a significant other with whom he shared bank accounts, Hoberg didn't want that person to see how much money he deposited into his account. 

Second, Hoberg was betting money he didn't have but his friend, a professional poker player, set up a credit system between the two. They were communicating through an app called "Telegram", where they would keep a ledger of what Hoberg won or lost and would settle at a later date. He lost roughly $75,000 on two sportsbooks over three years. 

To Hoberg's credit, he owned up to the mistake. "I take full responsibility for the errors in judgment that are outlined in today’s statement. Those errors will always be a source of shame and embarrassment to me … I apologize to MLB and the entire baseball community for my mistakes. I vow to learn from them and to be a better version of myself moving forward". 

Maybe I'm a sucker, but I believe Hoberg didn't bet on MLB games, even though the use of Telegram is sketchy. Why not just text each other if nothing illegal was going down? Either way, the league describes in detail the games Hobert officiated that his friend bet on and why Hoberg's calls didn't affect those games. 

I'll take MLB's word for it and continue to bet on baseball. However, now I'll just say it's rigged when I lose. (Just kidding). 

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Geoff Clark serves as OutKick’s sports betting guru. As a writer and host of OutKick Bets with Geoff Clark, he dives deep into the sports betting landscape and welcomes an array of sports betting personalities on his show to handicap America’s biggest sporting events. Previously, Clark was a writer/podcaster for USA TODAY's Sportsbook Wire website, handicapping all the major sports tentpoles with a major focus on the NFL, NBA and MLB. Clark graduated from St. John University.