When the New York Jets lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday night, wide receivers coach Miles Austin was not at the game. Now we know why as the NFL confirmed Friday that he had been suspended for violating the league’s gambling policy.
“Miles Austin is appealing that suspension. The league will have no further comment until that appeal has been resolved,” said ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Schefter later added that Austin has been suspended “for a minimum of a year, pending the appeal.”
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, “there’s no indication Austin bet on NFL games as a coach but bet on other sports which violates NFL personnel gambling policy.”
Austin spent 10 seasons in the NFL as a player, mostly with the Dallas Cowboys. He then transitioned into coaching in 2017 with the Cowboys and was hired by the San Francisco 49ers as an offensive quality control coach in 2019. In 2021, he was hired by the Jets as their wide receivers coach, which reunited him with Robert Saleh, who was the 49ers’ defensive coordinator while he was there.
While many have rightfully taken the NFL to task over perceived lax punishments for sexual assault and other crimes, they’ve always come down pretty hard on anything tied up in gambling. Former Atlanta Falcons receiver Calvin Ridley was suspended for the entire 2022-2023 NFL season over gambling policy violations.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.