Sean Payton Sounds Off On NFL's Gambling Policy After Broncos Lineman Eyioma Uwazurike Receives Suspension

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With the number of NFL players that have been suspended for gambling activity since April reaching double digits, Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton is done holding his tongue. He thinks the NFL gambling policy is a shame.

The league's gambling policy has now affected the Broncos first hand with second-year defensive lineman Eyioma Uwazurike being handed an indefinite suspension on Monday for betting on NFL games last season.

READ: NFL TRYING TO EDUCATE PLAYERS ON GAMBLING POLICY AMID MULTIPLE SUSPENSIONS, INVESTIGATIONS

Sean Payton is not a fan of the NFL gambling policy. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

With one of his own players getting struck down by the gambling policy, Payton saw this as an opportune time to voice his frustrations.

“When you have a bunch of players getting D’s, you have to start looking at the message,” Payton told USA TODAY. “And we’ve had a lot of D’s in our league this year with this policy. “And we’re going to send them home for a year, where they can’t be around. The idea that you just go away, shame on us.”

Payton understands the policy in place that players simply cannot bet on any NFL games, but his frustration more in lies with the manner the league goes about suspending players indefinitely. It's also not lost on him that most teams have partnerships with sportsbooks and casinos.

“It’s real simple for the players: You can’t bet on football. Period,” he repeated. “You can bet on the other sports, dogs, ponies, craps. You can do all that, but you can’t do it while you’re at the facility.”

“I know this: There’s a handful of owners that are owning these ‘problems,’" Payton continued. “A player can’t have a share of DraftKings or FanDuel. It’s shameful. Embarrassing.”

It has been quite the dynamic to watch unfold over the last handful of years with professional sports teams and leagues as a whole embracing sports gambling all while the players fans are gambling on can't gamble themselves.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and all other happenings in the world of golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.