Eyioma Uwazurike won’t face charges from the Arapahoe County District Attorney related to sports bets he made in 2023.
The office determined he didn’t violate any Colorado sports betting laws. Thanks to that decision, he can now apply to the NFL for reinstatement from a year-long gambling suspension that sidelined the former Iowa State player in 2023.
Uwazurike’s attorney, Harvey Steinberg, told 9News that his client expected that outcome.
“We can all sleep well tonight knowing the Constitution applies with equal force both in the state of Iowa and state of Colorado.”
Iowa court rules that evidence was taken illegally
According 9News, Uwazurike was accused “of placing 32 bets on five Broncos games in 2022 while disguising his identity on his FanDuel account by creating the appearance that a friend was placing the bets – a violation of user term rules, Iowa state law and other regulatory bodies.”
He played in only one of the five games, a Dec. 18, 2022, contest against the Arizona Cardinals, in which bets on the Broncos were allegedly made from his phone.
Uwazurike was also part of the Iowa State betting probe in 2022. He had faced charges in that state, until a court ruling earlier this year, Steinberg said.
“Iowa court suppressed all evidence seized, finding it was taken illegally. That ruling is binding on the Colorado courts and the Colorado prosecutors. It would be difficult, if not impossible, to attempt to prosecute a case here when all the charges were dismissed in Iowa as result of that ruling.”
Uwazurike was accused of making a total of 801 bets totaling $21,361, averaging $26.67 per bet.
A KCCI-TV story noted that Uwazurike’s alleged bets while still with the Cyclones included four Iowa State games, two of which he played in.
Broncos chose Uwazurike in the 4th round in 2022
The New York Times outlined the NFL’s gambling policy in a story published in February before the Super Bowl:
“The league has long maintained that players are not allowed to bet on NFL events. Its 2023 gambling policy states that players can never place, solicit, or facilitate a bet – either directly or through a third party – on “any NFL game, practice, or other event, such as the Combine or Draft.
“Players are also not allowed to participate in anyone else’s NFL betting activities, such as asking someone to place an NFL-related bet on their behalf or allowing another person to use their account to place an NFL-related bet.”
The article went on to say that players can’t even be in a sportsbook unless necessary – like passing through one to get from one part of a hotel to another, assuming there’s no alternative route.
Uwazurike, if reinstated, would count as a second-year player to account for the suspension year. He was a fourth-round draft pick for the Broncos in 2022.
