HOUSTON — Not much has gone wrong lately for Kyle Shanahan. But after his Super Bowl media night session wound up Monday, the Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator and presumptive San Francisco 49ers head coach had reason to be worried.
“I’m stressed out right now,” Shanahan said. “Somebody took my bag, and it had everything in it.”
Shanahan’s backpack, which contained a copy of the Falcons’ Super Bowl playbook, Super Bowl tickets and other personal effects, had gone missing at some point during his 45-minute session with reporters in the stands at Minute Maid Park.
Shanahan spent about 15 minutes looking for the backpack after the Falcons’ media session ended and before the New England Patriots’ session began.
Fortunately for the Falcons, the mystery was solved quickly by USA Today writer and ESPN contributor Jarrett Bell, who discovered that San Francisco Examiner columnist Art Spander had mistakenly picked up Shanahan’s bag instead of his own.
The bag was returned to Shanahan with all of the contents still inside.
The federal prohibition on sports betting turns 25 this year, but Americans aren’t expected to have any trouble getting action on Super Bowl LI.
Americans will stake an estimated $4.7 billion on Sunday’s game between the New England Patriots and underdog Atlanta Falcons, according to numbers released Tuesday by the American Gaming Association. The $4.7 billion is as much as is believed to have been sold on online retailer Amazon from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday in 2016.
The AGA estimates that 97 percent of the money wagered on the Super Bowl in the U.S. will be done so illegally, in an underground sports betting market that has thrived since the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act was enacted in 1992.
The estimates are extrapolated primarily from the wagering on the Super Bowl in Nevada, which is tracked by the state’s gaming control board, and are difficult to verify, with so much of the betting taking place in an unregulated market.
PASPA restricts legal sports betting to a handful of states, with only Nevada being allowed to offer wagering on single events. Last year, $132.54 million was bet on Super Bowl 50 at Nevada’s regulated sportsbooks. The rest was shipped to offshore sportsbooks and local bookmakers, who have moved away from the stereotypical phone rooms and primarily operate online now.
The United Kingdom, Canada and Australia are examples of international jurisdictions with regulated sports betting markets. There are multiple ongoing efforts to take the U.S. in that direction.
The AGA, which represents the casino industry in Washington, D.C., is in the process of building a coalition to address PASPA and plans to eventually begin lobbying to lift the prohibition. The U.S. Conference of Mayors, the National Conference of State Legislatures and law enforcement officials, including a former deputy director at the FBI, are part of the coalition. The AGA also has had recent discussions with broadcasters, advertisers and sports leagues about their efforts, in addition to interested parties on Capitol Hill.
“I think, when the time comes to push this publicly on the Hill, it could be helpful to have some strange bedfellows leading the charge there,” AGA CEO and president Geoff Freeman told ESPN in a phone interview. “And I feel good about where we are in terms of recruiting those individuals, folks who’ve been perhaps outspoken on amateur sports and things like that, but want to take a fresh look at this.”
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., was a past opponent of sports betting and in the early 2000s attempted to eliminate betting on college sports in Nevada. But McCain has since publicly stated that he believes Congress should re-examine the issue.
In addition to the AGA’s efforts, the House Energy and Commerce Committee has been reviewing federal laws while meeting with stakeholders to form the basis of comprehensive gambling legislation.
“It’s time for Congress to update the outdated gaming laws so that they actually address what is currently happening across the United States, including sports betting and daily fantasy sports,” Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. from New Jersey, the ranking Democrat on the committee, told ESPN. “I plan to put forward a proposal in the House in the spring that will provide for a more level playing field for all forms of gambling while also including strong consumer protections.”
Two of the largest sports organizations are standing in the way. The NFL and NCAA remain opposed to expanding legal sports betting in the U.S. Both cite concerns over the impact it would have on the integrity of the games.
“Sports wagering threatens both the integrity of the game and the well-being of student-athletes,” an NCAA spokesperson told ESPN.
Legalization proponents, including the NBA, argue that a heavily regulated sports betting market that is overseen by licensed officials will help protect the integrity of the games. NBA commissioner Adam Silver has said it is time to bring sports betting “out of the underground and into the sunlight were it can be appropriately monitored and regulated.”
Major League Baseball and the NHL have hinted at a willingness to give fresh consideration to the subject, but neither has come out publicly in full support. The PGA Tour, under new commissioner Jay Monahan, has also said it is looking at the issue.
While federal legislation is discussed, several states are positioning themselves in case PASPA is amended or lifted completely. New Jersey has appealed to the Supreme Court in its long-running effort to bring legal sports betting to its ailing casino and racing industry. The Supreme Court recently asked the incoming solicitor general to weigh in on the matter.
In addition to New Jersey, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania and South Carolina are among states that have taken steps to pursue sports betting this year.
“Sports gambling is happening now, with only the illegal bookmakers making money with absolutely no regulations or advocacy to help people,” said Michigan state Rep. Robert Kosowski, a Democrat who introduced a bill in January that would allow the state’s casinos to offer sports betting. “Legalized gambling in Michigan would create so many revenue streams so we wouldn’t have to keep going back to our constituents for tax hikes.”
For now, though, the federal prohibition remains on the books.
“As we mark the 25th anniversary of a failed law, it’s time for Washington to get out of the way and lift the federal prohibition that pushes sports fans to a rapidly growing illegal betting market,” Freeman added in a release. “A regulated marketplace would generate tax revenue and jobs, protect consumers and leverage cutting-edge technology to strengthen the integrity of the games we all love.”
HOUSTON — Six jobs were open this offseason in the NFL and those six teams have made their choices at head coach. New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, in his sixth Super Bowl and trying for his fifth ring, was not one of those choices. He interviewed for jobs with the Los Angeles Rams, Jacksonville Jaguars and San Francisco 49ers.
But with the Patriots still playing, the Rams selected a first-time head coach in Sean McVay, the Jaguars hired Doug Marrone, and the 49ers are poised to make Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan their new coach after Super Bowl LI.
“I was humbled I had an opportunity to interview for a few of them this year,” McDaniels said Monday night. “It wasn’t the right — I’ve said it, if I have a chance again I’d be thankful for it because there’s only 32 of them and I’d be honored to do it — it would have to be the right time, the right place, the right people. They’d have to want me, I’d have to want that.
Of being a head coach again, New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said he’d “look forward to the challenge of doing it again.” Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports
“And that just wasn’t the case this year, and those people hired great coaches. I wish them nothing but the best. And if that ever comes up for me, I’ll be thankful that it does.”
He’s been with the Patriots ever since. And with the Patriots’ continued success under head coach Bill Belichick, with future Hall of Famer Tom Brady at quarterback, McDaniels said he understands now more than ever how good his situation is.
And that has made it easier when he has interviewed in recent offseasons, only to see those teams choose someone else.
“I have a great appreciation for who I work for and how special it is to have an opportunity to learn from Bill,” McDaniels said. “And who I work with, we have a great staff, I’m privileged to just be a small part of. And a guy — Tom is certainly the leader of our group, and I’m not sure there will be another one like him, and it’s been an honor to coach him for as long as I’ve had an opportunity to do that.”
McDaniels was 33 when the Broncos hired him.
“I just have an understanding now, I’m older than I was six, seven, eight years ago, I understand kind of where I’m at. This is a unique situation, a unique situation in our sport, and I’m fortunate to be a part of it,” McDaniels said. “And those guys (Belichick and Brady) … are two of the best that will ever do it in their particular positions — head coach and quarterback — and to get an opportunity to get to work with them and for them, I don’t take that lightly. Other opportunities may come. May not, but I’m thankful I’m here right now, making the most of it.”
The Oakland Raiders’ bid to relocate to Las Vegas has hit another financial roadblock that could put the team’s planned move to the desert in jeopardy, a source told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne.
With billionaire casino mogul Sheldon Adelson angrily withdrawing from the Raiders’ stadium deal on Monday, investment bank Goldman Sachs is also re-evaluating its relationship with the planned deal, a source close to the negotiations told Shelburne.
Adelson had previously committed $650 million to get the $1.9 billion project completed, but announced the removal of his stake in a statement on Monday.
Adelson, the chief executive of Las Vegas Sands Corp., declared that he had been shut out of talks that led to the lease document presented to the Clark County Stadium Authority.
“We were not only excluded from the proposed agreement,” Adelson said, “we weren’t even aware of its existence.”
Adelson has a longstanding business relationship with Goldman Sachs.
A source told ESPN’s Darren Rovell that the Raiders’ relocation application to the NFL filed on Jan. 19 also did not include Adelson. On Jan. 12, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that the Raiders had told the NFL that it had assurance from Goldman Sachs that the financial firm would continue to back the team’s relocation effort even if Adelson was out of the picture.
Goldman Sachs had been in line to help underwrite Raiders owner Mark Davis’ financial commitment, but with the financial giant now re-evaluating its position and Adelson’s withdrawal, the entire deal could be in danger, a source told Shelburne.
The Raiders promised to make good on owner Mark Davis’ vow to move to Las Vegas in a statement released Monday. AP Photo/John Locher
With the Raiders franchise being the largest financial chip in Davis’ portfolio, the inclusion of Goldman Sachs would be relied upon to carry out a deal. In that situation, the investment firm would be on board only if a large return on investment was likely.
The Raiders had intended to pick up the tab for Adelson’s pulled $650 million, which would up their total commitment to $1.15 billion for a deal in which they would also accept operation responsibilities and risk.
The Las Vegas project includes a domed stadium to be built at a site yet to be decided, probably just off the Las Vegas Strip. It would seat 65,000.
In a statement, the Raiders acknowledged Adelson’s involvement in the project over the past year and promised to make good on Davis’ vow to move to Las Vegas.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal, which is owned by the Adelson family, reported Davis had been in Adelson’s office “negotiating with the family” even as Raiders president Marc Badain and executive vice president Dan Ventrelle were making a presentation to the authority board on the proposed lease agreement on Thursday.
Any relocation to Las Vegas must be approved by 24 of the 32 NFL team owners. A vote is expected during league meetings in March in Phoenix.
Information from ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez and Ramona Shelburne, and The Associated Press was used in this report.
