Report: At Least 1 NFL Team Rewrote Gambling Policy 'to Make It Understandable'

At least one NFL team rewrote the league's gambling policy "to make it understandable to players and non-players," according to Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio.

The report comes a day after Indianapolis Colts cornerback Isaiah Rodgers confirmed he is under investigation by the NFL for potentially violating the gambling policy. In a statement he shared on Twitter, Rodgers said he made "an error in judgment."

Five players received suspensions for gambling-related violations in April. ESPN's David Purdum originally reported on May 22 another "wave" of similar punishments could be coming.

The gambling policy prohibits players or team officials from betting on NFL games, and sports wagering of any kind is banned on the grounds of a team or league facility.

David Highhill, the NFL's vice president and general manager of sports betting, told Purdum the league attempts to provide specialized guidance to players and staffers on the gambling rules.

"The education and training the players receive is different than what NFL/club staff receive, which is different than what officials get," he wrote to ESPN. "We are very explicit in the training to explain that if you are involved with the NFL, you can never bet on the NFL.

"There should be no misunderstanding on the policies," he added.

However, Florio argued the official policy "reads as if it was written by lawyers for lawyers." He also described the multiple suspensions as a "failure" in which every party involved shares a level of responsibility.

The suspensions themselves are an obvious deterrent and help to clarify what is and isn't a violation. A disruption is inevitable any time the status quo changes—in this case the widespread legalization of sports betting.

To Florio's point, though, the NFL and the NFL Players Association may have left players and coaches hanging out to dry by not adequately laying out the gambling policy.