Major League Soccer has permanently banned two former players after investigators concluded they gambled on league matches and passed along insider details to other bettors.
The league announced Monday (March 9) that Derrick Jones and Yaw Yeboah received lifetime suspensions for violating MLS gambling rules. Neither player is currently signed to a club, but the league said their conduct during the 2024 and 2025 seasons broke policies designed to safeguard the sport’s competitive integrity.
The case began when betting integrity monitors flagged unusual wagering tied to soccer matches. After receiving those alerts, MLS hired the law firm Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP to carry out an independent review. During the investigation, both players were placed on administrative leave.
Investigators determined that Jones and Yeboah were involved in extensive gambling activity tied to soccer, including wagers connected to matches involving their own teams. The review also found the players placed bets on specific events that could occur during games.
One example cited by the league came from an October 19, 2024 match. Investigators said both players wagered that Jones would receive a yellow card in that game. According to MLS, Jones was indeed shown a yellow card during the match.
The investigation also uncovered signs that the players may have shared confidential information with other bettors. That included discussions about plans to draw yellow cards in matches. Even so, the league said investigators did not find evidence that any of the betting activity altered the final outcome of a game.
MLS response to lifetime ban of players over betting scandal
MLS Commissioner Don Garber said the decision reflects the league’s determination to protect the sport as legal sports betting continues expanding across the United States.
“Major League Soccer remains steadfast in its commitment to match integrity,” Garber said. “The League will continue to enforce its policies, enhance education efforts, and advocate for the elimination of yellow card wagering in all states to protect the integrity of our competition for clubs, players, and fans.”
League policy prohibits players, coaches, and team employees from betting on soccer in any form. The rules also forbid sharing non-public information that could affect betting markets.
Yellow card wagering has drawn particular scrutiny because a single player can influence that outcome directly. Regulators and leagues across multiple sports have raised concerns that those bets create opportunities for manipulation.
The MLS case also arrives during a broader period of attention on gambling scandals in sports. Lawmakers, including Rep. Tim Walberg, have warned that recent illegal betting cases involving athletes and sports organizations point out the need for stronger oversight and integrity protections.
College sports have also faced similar issues. In a separate federal case, former basketball player Jalen Smith recently pleaded guilty for his role in an NCAA point-shaving scheme tied to sports betting, underscoring how gambling activity can reach athletes at multiple levels of competition.
MLS said its investigation relied heavily on betting integrity monitoring systems that track suspicious wagering patterns across legal sportsbooks.
The lifetime suspensions mean Jones and Yeboah are permanently barred from participating in Major League Soccer in any role. The league said the punishment followed a review of the investigative findings under its disciplinary procedures.
MLS did not announce any additional discipline connected to the case.
Featured image: Hayden Schiff via Flickr / CC BY 2.0 / Jay eyem via WikiCommons / CC BY-SA 4.0
