On March 21, the Washington Wizards lost to the Orlando Magic in Florida. Following the game a fan, who allegedly lost a bet on the game, heckled the Wizards’ Bradley Beal. The three-time All-Star allegedly walked toward the fan and a verbal argument continued and Beal knocked the fan’s hat off his head.
Fan Went After Beal Over Lost Bet
As Beal and the Wizards were exiting the court after the game headed towards the tunnel, a fan allegedly yelled “You f***ed me [out of] $1,300, you f***!” at Beal.
Beal walked over to where the fan was with a group of other fans and knocked a hat off one of the fan’s heads.
“Keep it a buck,” Beal said. “I don’t give a f*** about none of your bets or your parlays, bro. That ain’t why I play the game.”
Allegedly the verbal altercation started to get tense and Beal was escorted back to the locker room.
According to police who viewed video footage of the incident, Beal was heard saying this is his job and he takes it seriously, and the man is heard apologizing, implying he did not intend to offend him.
The alleged victim told cops he wants to press charges against Beal, and police said there was enough probable cause to charge Beal with “simple battery.” Police say “charges will be filed at large with the State Attorney’s Office.”
Both the Wizards and NBA are aware of the situation.
“We are aware of the report and in the process of gathering more information,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass said in a statement.
“We are aware of the situation regarding Bradley Beal in Orlando but won’t have further comment until we’ve gathered more information,” the Wizards said in a statement.
Beal’s lawyer issued a statement to TMZ.
“We are cooperating with the investigation and [Bradley’s] name will be cleared soon.”
The NBA And Pro Sports Leagues Have Made Their Beds With Sportsbooks
Is anyone surprised this happened? What did the NBA or any other professional sports league think would happen when they got in bed with sportsbooks?
If the reported sum of money is accurate, that’s pretty low stakes. What happens when someone loses millions?
According to the Pew Research Center, one in five adults have personally bet money on sports within the last year. With commercialized gambling now recognized as a legal enterprise, that number is continuing to grow.
With that growth there will be an increase in gambling addiction, which is an impulse-control disorder. Despite the negative outcomes people cannot stop making wagers.
Add in the predatory way in which the online sportsbooks offer “free money” combined with little to no government regulation and it’s the Wild West.
“I got more incentive to gamble with these apps that give you free play and match your deposit,” said a former sports bettor in Los Angeles currently in recovery. He enlisted friends to sign up to get referral fees and looked at these enticements as free money, he told CNN last month. “I’d have to be an idiot to pass this up.”
We will see what ends up happening in the Beal case, but this low-stakes incident should serve as a warning sign for professional leagues and the powers that be. It should also serve as a warning to NBA players not to stick around and engage with fans after a tough loss, where emotions are high, and quite frankly, some people are just idiots. Just high tail it into the locker room after the game. No need for all of the drama.
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