The Dallas Cowboys fanbase should be extra concerned following a report Thursday that quarterback Dak Prescott is wearing a walking boot due to a foot sprain. Dallas Morning News‘ Calvin Watkins made the report two days after a rumor about Prescott’s health went viral from a sports bettor.
The timeline isn’t a good look in the legalized gambling era.
Sports bettors knew something was up with Dak Prescott
As previously discussed on GH, professional sports bettor Steve Fezzik went viral on Tuesday for stating that sports bettors, who follow certain beat writers, had inside information on a rumor that Prescott had an MRI:
Fezzik said on the Russ Tucker Podcast that bets have been coming in heavy on the under for the number of Cowboys wins this season.
“News is, [Prescott’s] not 100 percent, and they’ve been betting against the Cowboys the last three days. There’s rumors that he had an MRI. That’s unconfirmed, but that’s the rumors that I’m hearing. Money has been coming against the Cowboys. Their season win number is now down to ten.” Fezzik said.
Fezzik isn’t sure where the information on the Prescott rumor came from. However, he said most of the bettors follow beat writers religiously.
The sports betting rumor was called irresponsible
Mike Fisher with Athlon Sports called the report irresponsible and spoke to a source claiming the story was a “waste” of time:
That is indeed “unconfirmed” … making it irresponsible to say such a thing. … but causing CowboysCountry.com to chase down a source close to the situation who tells us in no uncertain terms …
“Don’t waste your time” on this non-story.
The leak regarding the Dallas Cowboys is concerning
By Independence Day, photos started surfacing of Prescott wearing a walking boot. It was confirmed the star quarterback, in the midst of contract negotiations with the Cowboys, was indeed dealing with a sprained foot.
Watkins and the NFL Network‘s Ian Rapoport are reporting Prescott’s injury is not considered serious or anything that would impede his ability to practice when training camp starts on July 25.
Sports bettors don’t seem to think that is the case. As Fezzik said, the Cowboys’ over/under win total was brought down to ten games the previous week, with the majority of professional bettors taking the under.
Maybe those sports bettors are quickly jumping the gun on how severe Precott’s injury is. Or maybe they have better inside intel on Prescott’s injury than the public. (Prescott has a previous right ankle injury.)
They certainly knew something was up with Prescott’s health before photos and reports were made legitimate to the public on Thursday.
One wants to know how sports bettors found out about Prescott’s injury days before the reports were made public. This type of leak is troubling in an era of legalized gambling. One has to hope beat writers weren’t the ones giving that information away.
But would it have been better for the leak to come from someone inside the NFL?
