The NFL community has been shaken by the recent confession of former mob boss Michael Franzese, who detailed a game-fixing scheme from the 1980s involving an anonymous New York Jets player. The shocking story comes to light at a time when professional sports are already grappling with modern gambling controversies.
Franzese revealed that the player was pressurized into fixing games to cover a massive $300,000 gambling debt he owed to the mob. The whole scheme began with a bookmaker who was working with Franzese. The bookmaker approached the mob boss because the Jets player was already heavily indebted, owing a smaller amount of $50,000. Instead of collecting right away, Franzese instructed the bookmaker to allow the debt to…