If that sounds slightly paranoid, something similar actually happened with Monday Night Football director Chet Forte, who was consumed by gambling. “If he bet on the Bills to cover the spread by 10 points and this Jets touchdown would make the spread only 9, is he going to show the angle that proves it’s a touchdown?”
“There was always the remote possibility that a director or a producer could be wagering on the game,” Albert wrote. Marv Albert once noted that fears of gambling sunk an early version of instant-replay review in the NFL. As recently as 2015, the NFL Network’s “bold predictions” segment carried the disclaimer “viewer discretion is advised” - so not that bold after all.
(Now safely in his Vegas residency, Musburger recently admitted to betting on a game he was announcing.) Pundits like Jimmy the Greek were allowed to make picks on the CBS pregame show, but only without the line. Al Michaels and Brent Musburger and even Chris Fowler made sly references to late touchdowns and broken hearts. TV sports adopted the same winking style. The Supreme Court Struck Down the Law Prohibiting Sports Gambling.
