The Dallas Cowboys cut ties with running back Joseph Randle midseason amid some fairly strange circumstances. But among the various issues Randle was apparently dealing with, was one that the general public had not been made aware of until now - sports gambling. According to a Tuesday report from the Dallas Morning News, the Cowboys cut ties with Randle in part because he was "placing wagers on sporting events" during the season.
"All of that became apparent to us right during the season," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told the News last week at the Senior Bowl. "Not before the season. It became real acute, a combination of things. Some issues ... became more apparent."
Jones said that there has been no evidence to this point that Randle was betting on NFL games. NFL spokeseman Greg Aiello echoed a similar sentiment to the News.
It's been a rapid for the once-promising Cowboys running back.
The 23-year-old Randle started the 2015 NFL season as the lead dog in the Boys' backfield, but lost his job to veteran Darren McFadden after suffering an injury and reportedly left the Cowboys' facility in a huff upon learning of his demotion.
The issues involving Randle started well before that though. He was arrested for shoplifting underwear and cologne in the offseason and was also facing a suspension from the league after a domestic violence arrest in February. The domestic violence charges were dropped, but Randle was also slapped with drug and gun violations as a result.
Questions of his mental stability began to swirl in the weeks before his release and his actions since his release - he's been arrested twice - suggest that Randle's NFL playing days are over.
