New Jersey game organizers on Friday ordered sportsbooks to stop betting on the Citrus Bowl between Purdue and LSU because an “individual associated with the Purdue football team” is violating state regulations.
Sources familiar with the decision tell ESPN that retired NFL quarterback Drew Brees, who has signed on to become an interim assistant coach for Purdue’s bowling alley, is the person in question due to his business relationship with Points Beat.
New Jersey’s department of law enforcement has instructed the state’s sportsbooks to stop taking bets involving football at Purdue and said existing bets on the Citrus Bowl placed after Dec. 15 must be canceled, according to the notice sent Friday morning and obtained by me. ESPN. Brees, a graduate of Purdue University, signed on to be the interim coach of the Boilermakers in the Citrus Bowl on December 15.
In the notice, the Department of Games did not name the individual associated with Purdue but stated that he was violating Statute 5:12A-11(f), which prohibits athletes, coaches, referees, or directors of a sports governing body from having “any ownership interest in, control of, or using it in any other way.
Brees became a brand ambassador for PointsBet in June 2021 and acquired a sportsbook stake in the deal. A week after he agreed to train Purdue, PointsBet, which operates in New Jersey, announced that it was ending its partnership with Brees.
PointsBet said in a statement on December 22: “PointsBet congratulates Drew Brees on his appointment as interim assistant coach for the Purdue Boilermakers. While this is an exciting next step in his career, after careful review, we have decided to terminate our Ambassador Partnership Agreement with Drew.” Regulatory and legal compliance, responsible gaming practices, and legal sports betting integrity are top priorities for our organization, and this decision will allow us to stand by that commitment. We wish Drew all the best as he returns home to his alma mater.”
ESPN has reached out to its gaming division and PointsBet for comment.
The point spread over the Citrus Bowl, scheduled for Monday, has gone from LSU -11.5 to LSU -14 over the past two weeks.
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