Cards executive suspended for violating gambling policy
Football
The NFL has suspended Arizona Cardinals personnel executive Ryan Gold indefinitely for violating the league’s gambling policy.
The league said Friday that its investigation determined that Gold provided confidential, non-public inside information regarding 2026 draft selections by the Cardinals before the picks were announced, and Gold also participated in parlay bets on NFL and college games. The league didn’t say who Gold had provided with the information.
“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 NFL said in a statement. “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 also issued a statement, saying: “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.”
Gold, who is in his 13th season with the Cardinals, was promoted to director of college scouting in June 2025. He spent the previous three years (2022-24) as the assistant director of college scouting after working for four seasons (2018-21) as a college scouting coordinator.
Gold has the right to appeal the suspension. He couldn’t immediately be reached for comment Friday.
The NFL has strict gambling policies for players and club and league personnel. The league has also dedicated significant resources to its gambling education program, reaching more than 20,000 people associated with the league.
The policy says players must not:
— place any bet on NFL football;
— throw or fix any NFL game or event, or otherwise manipulate or attempt to manipulate any play or other aspect of an NFL game;
— share confidential, non-public information regarding any NFL game, player or event with any third party.
NFL players — but not league or club staff — are allowed to legally place bets on other sports as long as they are off club property or not traveling with the team. They also are allowed to take part in traditional fantasy football leagues (prize money cannot exceed $250) and legally gamble at casinos on personal time.
The NFL said the Cardinals fully cooperated with the investigation and the league has seen no indication that any other member of the organization, coach or player was aware of or involved in this activity. The league also said there was no indication that any play or game was affected by this activity.
Titans to honor Johnson:
The Tennessee Titans will induct Chris Johnson, the sixth man in NFL history to run for 2,000 yards in a season, into their Ring of Honor during halftime of their regular-season opener Sept. 13.
The Titans announced the honor Friday following Johnson’s announcement June 29 on ABC’s ” Good Morning America ” that he was diagnosed with ALS, the fatal nervous system disease a year earlier.
“Chris Johnson holds a special place in the hearts of our organization and our fans,” Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk said. “His stats speak for themselves, and he will forever remain a leader in our record books, but the man behind the yardage deserves just as much celebration.”
Johnson was the 24th pick overall in 2008 by the Titans and played six of his 10 seasons in the NFL with Tennessee. He rushed for 7,965 yards and had 58 total touchdowns in that span. Those totals both rank fourth for a franchise that also had Earl Campbell, Eddie George and Derrick Henry.
He earned the nickname “CJ2K” in 2009 when he finished with 2,006 yards rushing to join O.J. Simpson, Eric Dickerson, Barry Sanders, Terrell Davis and Jamal Lewis in the exclusive 2,000-yard club. Johnson also had 2,509 yards from scrimmage, a single-season record that still stands in the NFL.
That earned him the Associated Press NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award.
Johnson will be inducted at halftime of the Titans’ opener against the New York Jets, the team the running back played for in 2014. He becomes the 20th inductee into the Titans’ Ring of Honor with former radio analyst and assistant coach Dave McGinnis being inducted posthumously later this season.
Panthers re-sign Christensen
The Carolina Panthers re-signed versatile offensive lineman Brady Christensen.
The 29-year-old Christensen has spent all five seasons with the Panthers, starting 34 games and competing in 59. He started four games in 2025 at guard before a torn Achilles tendon ended his season.
The 6-foot-6, 300-pound Christensen, a third-round draft pick out of BYU in 2021, is viewed as a valuable depth piece by the Panthers because of a rare ability to play every position on the offensive line.
Panthers rookies are scheduled to report to training camp on Tuesday with veterans arriving on Wednesday.
Hamilton gets top nod
Kyle Hamilton does it all for the Baltimore Ravens defense.
The two-time All-Pro safety can play slot cornerback and cover receivers or tight ends. He can play in the box and stop the run. He can drop into zone and play traditional deep safety. He can blitz.
Hamilton’s versatility and productivity helped him earn the top safety spot in the NFL as voted by the Associated Press.
A panel of eight AP Pro Football Writers ranked the top five players at safety, basing selections on current status entering the 2026 season. First-place votes were worth 10 points. Second- through fifth-place votes were worth 5, 3, 2 and 1 points.
Hamilton received six first-place votes. All-Pro Kevin Byard finished second, followed by Derwin James, Antoine Winfield Jr. and Xavier McKinney.