As the celebrations after the Seattle Seahawks’ Super Bowl LX win continue, Roger Goodell’s NFL could be facing a massive scandal. After the New England Patriots’ 29-13 loss, quarterback Drake Maye revealed he received a pain-killing injection in his injured shoulder before the game, despite being publicly presented as fully healthy throughout Super Bowl week. This misinformation has raised concerns over the league’s minimal injury-reporting rules and the gulf between inside medical information and what fans or bettors are told, especially with the NFL’s deep financial ties to sports gambling.

Pro Football Talk founder Mike Florio highlighted this very point as he shared his thoughts on the Drake Maye situation.

“The league makes millions from sportsbook sponsorship,” Florio wrote. “Owners are allowed to acquire up to five percent of any company that operates a sportsbook — and the league has refused in the past to disclose which owners own pieces of which sportsbooks. The scandal is coming. And, when it happens, they’ll act surprised. Shocked. Appalled. Even if they should have seen it coming.”

This year’s Big Game saw Seattle’s Darkside defense run riot against the Patriots as QB1 Drake Maye had one of his most disappointing performances of his young career. The 23-year-old finished the game 27-of-43 for 295 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also lost a fumble for three total giveaways and was even sacked six times.

This dismal effort has been considered the product of a poor New England O-line and Maye’s inability to perform on the biggest occasion. But as information about the Patriots’ QB1 taking a pain-killing medication leading up to Super Bowl 60 made the rounds after the defeat against the Seahawks, Drake Maye’s health could emerge as a major reason behind this disappointing performance.

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Maye’s situation has drawn attention because of the Super Bowl stage; this isn’t the first time something like this has happened. Players and teams regularly manage injuries that aren’t available on the final injury reports, as the league only requires them to disclose availability rather than fitness.

The NFL insists its reporting rules were followed in this case, but questions are raised about how this method is no longer fit for purpose in an era where betting markets rely heavily on accurate injury information. As the league continues its ties with sports gambling, cases like this risk raising serious questions about transparency and integrity.

Amid the growing concerns over transparency and the NFL’s relationship with the gambling industry, questions are raised over the Patriots and how they handled Drake Maye’s injury. Addressing this aspect, former Los Angeles Chargers doctor Dr. David Chao issued a clarification on how teams report injuries.

Were the Patriots right in hiding Drake Maye’s injury?

As Drake Maye was deemed fit and ready to play, the New England Patriots are facing scrutiny for not reporting their quarterback’s shoulder issue ahead of the Super Bowl. When asked whether the Patriots did the right thing, former Chargers team physician Dr. David Chao revealed that the fault lies with NFL rules on injury reporting and not the team involved.

“The Patriots did everything appropriately in their reporting of Drake Maye,” Chao said. “A team is required to give an honest estimation of the chances of play. And there’s only four choices: Out, Doubtful, Questionable, nothing, meaning ‘Playing.’ There’s no ‘probable’ anymore. They had him on there as nothing, meaning he’s 100 percent playing. He played. There’s no shenanigans there.”

The debate makes one thing clear: Roger Goodell and the NFL can no longer afford half-measures. With the league’s credibility on the line, action must be taken to establish real transparency around player health and other related issues, as it’s essential to preserving fan trust and protecting the sport’s integrity in the gambling age.