Sports betting has been a hot topic over the last few days, and now Cleveland Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff is sounding off on the conversation. During pregame media availability Wednesday night as the Cavaliers were set to take on the Heat, Bickerstaff talked about his own experience with sports betting and how he believes it has gone too far.
“There’s no doubt about it that it’s crossed the line,” Bickerstaff said. “The amount of times I’m standing up there and we may have a 10-point lead and the spread is 11 and people are yelling at me to leave the guys in so we can cover the spread, it’s ridiculous. But again, I understand the business side of it, the nature of the business of it, but it is something that I believe has gone too far.”
Bickerstaff went on to detail his personal experience with sports bettors who have found his information and sent him messages over losing bets.
“I personally have had my own instances with some of the sports gamblers, where they got my telephone number, were sending me crazy messages about where I live, and my kids and all that stuff,” Bickerstaff said.
“So it is a dangerous game and a fine line that we’re walking for sure. It brings added pressure, a distraction to the game that can be difficult for players, coaches, referees, and everybody that’s involved in it. I think we really have to be careful with how close we let it get to the game and the security of the people who are involved in it because it does carry weight. A lot of times, people who are gambling, this money pays their light bill or pays their rent, and then the emotions that come from that. So I do think we’re walking a very fine line, and we have to be extremely careful in protecting everybody who’s involved.”
Bickerstaff’s comments come after Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton spoke on the topic earlier this week. Haliburton responded to a general question asking if he’s ever talked to a sports psychologist to talk through things, to which he specifically pointed out how many people only care about how much money he can make them on sports bets.
“Not everybody cares to hear how we feel. To half the world, I’m just helping them make money on DraftKings or whatever,” Haliburton said. “I’m a prop. That’s what my social media mostly consists of.”
Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra detailed a specific incident with a sports gambler that happened last year during a…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at CBSSports.com Headlines…