NFL Suspends Cardinals Scouting Director Ryan Gold Indefinitely for Leaking Draft Info and Gambling

The NFL has suspended Arizona Cardinals personnel executive Ryan Gold indefinitely for violating the league’s gambling policy, the league announced Friday, citing an investigation that found Gold leaked confidential draft information and placed prohibited bets on NFL and college football games.

The league said its investigation determined that Gold, the Cardinals’ director of college scouting, provided confidential, nonpublic information regarding Arizona’s 2026 draft selections before the picks were officially announced. Investigators also found that Gold participated in parlay bets involving both NFL and college games. The NFL did not disclose who Gold shared the draft information with, and it remains unclear how the league first became aware of the violations.

In a statement announcing the suspension, the NFL emphasized the seriousness with which it treats any breach of its gambling policy, even when game integrity itself is not in question. “The Gambling Policy, which is annually reviewed with all NFL personnel, strictly prohibits anyone in the NFL from participating in or facilitating any form of sports gambling, and from providing third parties non-public information,” the league said. “Although there is no reason to believe the integrity of any NFL game was affected, the League takes any violation of the Gambling Policy with the utmost seriousness.”

The Cardinals organization issued its own statement following the announcement, expressing support for the league’s decision while emphasizing that the violation was isolated to a single employee. “The NFL’s policies and expectations for all employees are clear, comprehensive, and consistently communicated. We fully support the league’s decision in this matter, which involves a single employee. Our focus remains on preparing for the start of training camp next week and the 2026 season,” the team said.

Gold has spent 13 seasons with the Cardinals organization. He was promoted to director of college scouting in June 2025, after spending the previous three years, from 2022 to 2024, as assistant director of college scouting. Before that, he worked four seasons, from 2018 to 2021, as a college scouting coordinator. In his current role, Gold oversees a scouting department that includes four regional and pro scouts, six area scouts, and lead assistant director Alfonza Knight, who is also in his 13th season with the organization, according to reporting from The Mirror.

The timing of the suspension has drawn additional scrutiny given a notable moment from this year’s NFL Draft. The Cardinals surprised many draft analysts by selecting Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love with the No. 3 overall pick, passing over Ohio State defender Arvell Reese, who had been widely projected as a likely selection at that spot. According to reporting from The Mirror, footage that circulated after the draft appeared to show Love being named as the Cardinals’ pick prematurely during a rehearsal held ahead of the official broadcast, raising questions about whether that specific selection was connected to the information Gold is accused of leaking. Gold was also reportedly involved in the team’s process of selecting quarterback Carson Beck in the draft’s third round.

The NFL said its review of Gold’s conduct included interviews with relevant individuals and an examination of electronic records. The league further stated that the Cardinals organization fully cooperated with the investigation, and that there was no indication any other member of the team, including coaches or players, was aware of or involved in Gold’s activity. The league also said it found no evidence that any play or game outcome was affected by the violations.

Gold retains the right to appeal his suspension. He could not immediately be reached for comment following the league’s announcement Friday.

The NFL has maintained increasingly strict gambling policies in recent years as legalized sports betting has expanded across the country following a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that opened the door for states to authorize sports wagering. The league has invested significant resources into gambling education programs, reaching more than 20,000 people associated with the league across teams and front offices. Under the current policy, players are barred from placing any bet on NFL football, from attempting to fix or manipulate any aspect of an NFL game, and from sharing confidential, nonpublic information about any NFL game, player or event with third parties. Players are permitted to legally bet on other sports, provided they are off club property and not traveling with the team, and may also participate in traditional fantasy football leagues with prize pools capped at $250, or gamble legally at casinos during personal time.

League and club staff, including scouting and front-office personnel like Gold, are held to comparable restrictions barring participation in or facilitation of sports gambling and prohibiting the sharing of non-public information with outside parties. To help enforce those rules, the NFL partners directly with sportsbooks and data-analysis firms such as Genius Sports, which monitors real-time betting activity to flag suspicious patterns, including unusually high-volume wagers or unexpected shifts in betting lines that could indicate the misuse of inside information.

Gold’s suspension adds to a long history of gambling-related discipline within the league. At least 15 NFL players have been suspended for gambling violations since 1963, according to ESPN, with several cases occurring in recent years amid the broader expansion of legalized sports betting. The most recent player suspension prior to Gold’s case involved Isaiah Rodgers, who was suspended in June 2023 while with the Indianapolis Colts and was later reinstated in April 2024. Other notable cases in recent seasons have included multiple Detroit Lions players, including wide receiver Jameson Williams, as well as Tennessee Titans offensive tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere and former Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley, each disciplined for violations ranging from betting on non-NFL games at team facilities to wagering directly on NFL contests.

Gold’s case marks a notable shift in that pattern, given his role as a front-office scouting executive rather than a player. The suspension comes just weeks before the Cardinals are set to open training camp ahead of the 2026 season, with the team saying its focus remains squarely on preparing for the upcoming year despite the disruption caused by the investigation into Gold’s conduct.