It took months, but the CFL has finally and officially sent a message to its players that no amount of wagering on its games will be tolerated — and that the punishment for crossing the line will be severe.
The Canadian Football League announced on Wednesday that an independent arbitrator upheld an indefinite suspension of Montreal Alouettes defensive lineman Shawn Lemon for sports betting-related reasons.
According to media reports, Lemon placed an approximately $100 parlay in 2021 using two CFL games, including one that involved the team he was then playing for, the Calgary Stampeders.
“We respect the arbitrator’s decision and the important precedent that has been established,” CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie said in a statement. “The integrity of any sport is paramount. Players, fans and anyone associated with our game must be able to believe in the league’s fairness of competition.”
Update on independent arbitrator's decision on Shawn Lemon's suspension for wagering on CFL games. pic.twitter.com/uFBSeD2DLb
— CFL Communications (@CFL_PR) August 28, 2024
The CFL initially suspended Lemon in April, but the former All-Star and three-time Grey Cup champion, who had retired before the discipline was announced, un-retired and appealed the decision. Due to the appeal, Lemon could practice and play in games.
Lemon had six tackles and one sack in the four games he played this year. However, at the CFL’s request, the suspension was reimposed when an initially scheduled arbitration date in July was postponed until early August. Lemon's appeal of the suspension occurred on Aug. 2 and Aug. 5, according to the CFL.
“The integrity of the league is of the utmost importance to us, and we respect the independent arbitrator’s final verdict,” the Alouettes said in a statement. “Since joining the Alouettes on July 24, 2023, Shawn Lemon has been an important part of our locker room and our community. We’d like to thank him for all the contributions he has made to our team over the last 13 months.”
The team added that it would not comment further on the matter.
Lemon’s suspension is another in a series of punishments handed down by sports leagues when players were caught engaging in forbidden gambling activity. That disciple comes as those same leagues have embraced legal sports betting as a way to boost interest in their games, which can lead to increased advertising revenue.
More trouble, but more tools
The CFL supported the decriminalization of single-game sports betting in Canada and now counts several sports betting companies as authorized gaming operators, including FanDuel, Neo.Bet, and provincial lottery and gaming corporations, such as Loto-Quebec.
The CFL also prohibits personnel from wagering on its games and has implemented a match-fixing policy developed by McLaren Global Sport Solutions. In addition, the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport launched an e-learning course last year to help educate CFL players on the policy, although it was not around at the time of Lemon’s infraction.
While the legalization of sports betting has arguably made it easier for players to break the rules, perhaps sometimes unwittingly, it has given leagues more tools to detect misbehaviour as well.
Notably, the CFL has partnered with Genius Sports Ltd. (which owns a stake in the league’s commercial operations), the International Betting Integrity Agency, and the International Olympic Committee’s Integrity Betting Intelligence System to help with monitoring the betting markets and uncover any attempted match-fixing.
“Today’s decision upholds that standard and underscores the CFL’s position against match manipulation,” Ambrosie said on Wednesday.
