It remains to be seen if former LSU teammates Jayden Daniels or Malik Nabers are awarded NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, but they did receive a stern talking to this week.
Daniels, the No. 2 overall pick with the Washington Commanders, and Nabers, No. 6 with the New York Giants, made headlines in May when Nabers let slip they made a personal $10,000 bet over which one will win the Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
The quickly called off the bet once it became public, as the NFL has become rather sensitive about violations of its gambling policy. That wasn’t the end of it for Daniels and Nabers, though.
NFL executive Jeff Miller revealed to the Washington Post’s Mark Maske that the pair underwent multiple training sessions about the dangers of gambling for players in the modern NFL:
“As you know, they rescinded that bet. The league addressed the matter directly with the NFL Players Association, with the two teams and with the two players to ensure that they understood the policy.”
“They received multiple education training sessions since that time. And… as a result of all the work that went into it, I think we’re comfortable with the resolution.”
Those sessions probably weren’t the most enjoyable parts of the rookie process, especially for Daniels, the one who kept his mouth shut.
As things stand, both Daniels and Nabers have a very good shot at winning Offensive Rookie of the Year. Daniels, who was named Commanders starting quarterback earlier this week, has the second best odds to win the award at +500, behind No. 1 pick Caleb Williams (+130). Nabers is fifth on the list at +1300 and expected to be an integral part of whatever the Giants passing attack becomes.
You can use those odds, but they can’t.