Arizona Cardinals director of college scouting Ryan Gold is appealing his indefinite NFL suspension for allegations that he violated the league’s gambling policy.
Gold’s attorney, Mike Caspino, denied the allegations in a statement to ESPN on Sunday, calling them “blatantly false.”
“Ryan Gold has been an outstanding NFL executive for over a decade,” Caspino told ESPN. “The accusations made by the league regarding his participation in prohibited gambling activities are blatantly false. We have demanded an appeal, and we look forward to clearing his good name.”
On Friday, the NFL confirmed that it had been investigating Gold for potential violations of the league’s gambling policy. That investigation found that Gold had made parlay bets on both NFL and college games, and that he had “provided confidential, non-public inside information” on the Cardinals’ picks in the 2026 NFL Draft.
“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 statement read. “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.”
Shortly after the NFL’s ruling was announced on Friday, the Cardinals released a statement supporting the league’s decision.
“The NFL’s policies and expectations for all employees are clear, comprehensive and consistently communicated,” the team said, via Pro Football Talk. “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.”
On Sunday, per ESPN, Caspino said that Gold’s wife had made $10 weekly bets with a group of high school friends and that Gold was not involved in the betting. He also said that Gold couldn’t have divulged draft information because he didn’t know ahead of time who the Cardinals were picking.
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Caspino told ESPN that only team owner Michael Bidwill and general manager Monti Ossenfort were aware of the selections before they were made.
Gold was promoted to his current role as Arizona’s Director of College Scouting in 2025, per to the team’s website. He joined the Cardinals’ front office in 2014 as a scouting assistant and moved up the ranks in the years since.
Arizona made seven picks in the 2026 draft, kicking things off with the splashy (if potentially ill-advised) selection of running back Jeremiyah Love. The Cardinals also picked quarterback Carson Beck in the third round, in another somewhat surprising choice.
