Is the NFL Hypocritical on Gambling? Yes, and It Should Be

When it comes to the NFL's recent anti-gambling beat-downs, please remember three important things:

1. Yes, the NFL is nakedly hypocritical when it comes to gambling.

2. Yes, the NFL is also right in what it's doing, even if it's being draconian and at times patently absurd.

3. When trying to understand the NFL's reasoning for yanking Tony Romo's fantasy football expo from under his cleats (via Fox Sports) or telling Dolphins players to stay their poker-playing asses home (via the Sun-Sentinel), there's one name you must know: Art Schlichter. What he did—and his place in NFL history—is the reason the league is behaving the way it is.

Schlichter was the fourth overall pick in the 1982 draft and…