- The MLS issued lifetime bans to Derrick Jones and Yaw Yeboah for reportedly betting on their own games.
- The two played for Columbus Crew when this occurred during the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
- The MLS is considering removing any bets on yellow cards due to the ease of manipulation.
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Two former MLS players received lifetime bans for reportedly betting on their own games during the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
Derrick Jones and Yaw Yeboah were placed on administrative leave in October of 2025 as the league hired a law firm to investigate reports of suspicious betting from partnered sports betting sites.
The league put out a statement concluding that the findings of the investigation showed evidence of “extensive gambling” by both players.
It was also found that the two players likely shared inside information with other bettors.
A specific game on October 19th of 2024 was mentioned, in which Jones drew a yellow card, which both players bet to occur.
This specific incident has led to the league advocating for the elimination of all wagers on yellow cards at MLS betting sites, as it is one of the easier aspects of the game to manipulate for betting purposes.
The two players were teammates on the Columbus Crew when the majority of the illegal betting took place. The team has since condemned the two players and their actions.
There have been other instances of illegal gambling in the MLS, including Felipe Hernandez of Sporting KC, who was found to have violated the league’s betting policy multiple times from 2021-2024.
