Major League Soccer has banned players Derrick Jones and You Yeboah for life after an investigation found they violated the league’s strict gambling policy. Both players were discovered to have placed bets on MLS games, including matches involving their own teams.
The sanctions follow an independent investigation launched after suspicious betting alerts were flagged by integrity monitoring partners. The probe was conducted by the law firm Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP, while the players were placed on administrative leave in October 2025. According to MLS, the investigation determined that both players participated in extensive gambling on soccer during the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
A noteworthy event brought to light during the investigation was when the Columbus Crew and New York Red Bull soccer teams met to play at the Columbus Crew Stadium on October 19, 2024. The players on both teams were apparently placing bets on whether or not Jones would get a yellow card at some point during the game.
In the 35th minute of the game, Jones received a yellow card for committing a foul. Following the investigation, it was determined by investigators that the players potentially communicated to bettors insider knowledge that Jones could possibly receive a yellow card in the game (that is, that he would intentionally do something to receive a yellow card). However, according to MLS, there are no findings to suggest that the gambling transactions influenced the outcome of the game.
MLS commissioner Don Garber emphasized that the league remains committed to protecting the integrity of its competitions.
MLS commissioner Don Garber added:
The league will continue to enforce its policies, enhance education efforts, and advocate for the elimination of yellow card wagering in all states to protect the integrity of our competition for clubs, players, and fans.
The case has renewed concerns about gambling integrity in American professional sports since the legalization of sports betting following the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act ruling that opened the door for regulated betting markets.
MLS previously suspended Felipe Hernandez of Sporting Kansas City in 2021 for betting on league matches before terminating his contract in 2024.
Other leagues have faced similar issues. In 2024, the National Basketball Association issued a lifetime ban to Jontay Porter of the Toronto Raptors for manipulating betting-related performance props.
Meanwhile, in baseball, the former interpreter of Shohei Ohtani from the Los Angeles Dodgers, Ippei Mizuhara, was sentenced in 2025 to nearly five years in prison for a fraud and gambling scheme. Mizuhara was ordered to repay nearly $17 million he had stolen from Ohtani in one of the most high-profile gambling scandals in recent years.
