ESPN’s Michael Wilbon drew reactions of shock and outrage — including from his Pardon the Interruption co-host Tony Kornheiser — when his response to new sports gambling indictments was to literally say “I don’t care.”
The sports world has been rocked during the last few weeks by a wave of stories involving accusations that major players, coaches, and other influential people in sports are connected to illegal gambling schemes.
In late October, the FBI made multiple arrests, including Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, for charges related to Mafia-run poker games, participation in suspicious betting activity, and other accusations of illegal gambling activity. The bombshell story was a huge black eye for the NBA, especially since the allegations covered players providing nonpublic information or changing their gameplay to affect gambling wagers.
This was shortly followed by new allegations of UFC fighters saying they had been approached by people asking them to fix fights and then it was baseball’s turn this weekend, with two Cleveland Guardians pitchers, Luis Ortiz and star reliever Emmanuel Clase, arrested for allegedly “rigging pitches” in exchange for kickback payments.
Proposition bets, more commonly called prop bets, which don’t affect the outcome of the game, are a key element of many of these allegations. These wagers have been criticized both for the increased risk for addiction for gamblers and the temptations they create for players, coaches, and others to be bribed, threatened, or coerced.
During the “Mail Time” part of Monday’s episode of PTI, Wilbon and Kornheiser chatted about the new allegations against the Guardians pitchers.
Kornheiser said that obviously the accused are “always innocent until proven guilty,” but when he read the charges it seemed to him that they were “rock solid.” He wasn’t sure this was something that deserved prison time — if convicted, the charges can carry sentences of up to 20 years — but added, “I got to say, Mike, as I sit here now, I don’t think either of them is ever going to pitch in the major leagues again.”
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred “has to come out, and he has to say ;this is what we are doing to prevent this from happening in the future,”” Kornheiser added, because “these prop bets — they are the poisoned apple.”
“They are, they are, Tony,” Wilbon agreed, saying that he was “not going to disagree with anything you said,” and if they’re guilty, they’ll be punished, “so be it.”
“I mean, you know the rules,” he continued, “It’s explained over and over to you, in seminars –”
“You’re defrauding the game!” said Kornheiser.
“Yes,” said Wilbon. “And you know what, Tom? I don’t care.”
“Really?” replied Kornheiser, clearly taken aback.
“Because at the highest levels of pyramids in this country, in this culture, everybody’s betting now,” Wilbon said. “It’s on every phone except yours and mine.”
“But don’t you want it to be honest? Don’t you want it to be honest?” Kornheiser retorted with his voice raised.
“Does that affect the game?” Wilbon said. “Does it tilt it in any way that matters to me?”
“I know what you’re going to say — that it’s very small and it’s not throwing the game,” Kornheiser pushed back.
“Right,” said Wilbon, ”
“But the more these things happen,” Kornheiser said, it was like water accumulating and then “suddenly there’s a flood.”
And with that, they moved on to the next topic.
Wilbon’s nonchalant reaction to the gambling indictments, particularly his “I don’t care” remark, drew a sharp and loud rebuke from numerous sports fans. A sampling of tweets is below.
Watch the video above via Pardon the Interruption on YouTube (relevant section starts around the 12:45 mark).
