NFL match-fixing – A 1989 television interview featuring author Don Moldea has gone viral, renewing interest in decades-old allegations of systemic gambling corruption and match-fixing within the NFL.
The silence was broken by a flickering clip from a 1989 episode of The Pat Sajak Show. a 15-month late-night experiment that most had long forgotten. In the footage. author Don Moldea sits before the host. detailing the findings of his book. Interference: How Organized Crime Influences Professional Football. The claims. resurfacing now on social media. offer a sobering look at an era of football history defined by accusations of dark influence.
Moldea’s allegations remain as heavy today as they were thirty-seven years ago. He explicitly stated that at least 26 past and present NFL team owners held documented ties to organized crime or the gambling community. Even more startling, he asserted that no fewer than 70 NFL games had been fixed by 1989. To bolster his case. he pointed to bookmaker Don Dawson. who confessed to participating in the rigging of at least 32 games. often by manipulating final scores through direct contact with team quarterbacks.
The book went further. naming specific players involved in such activities and identifying eight games from the 1979 season that were allegedly fixed by two referees. These officials had been the subject of formal investigations by the FBI and the IRS. When pressed by Sajak on why these scandals never reached the public consciousness, Moldea cited a systemic suppression of justice. He contended that at least 50 legitimate investigations into NFL corruption were effectively killed due to a close. protective relationship between NFL Security and various levels of law enforcement. ranging from federal agencies to local police departments.
The tension between the gravity of these accusations and the passage of time is palpable. When Sajak asked if he feared for his safety while exposing the reach of organized crime, Moldea offered a grim perspective: “No one’s tried to kill me in almost six years.”
The return of these allegations hits a particularly raw nerve in the modern era. With legalized gambling now widespread across the country and prediction markets influencing how fans engage with the sport. the mechanics of integrity in professional football are under more scrutiny than ever. While the investigations described in the 1989 interview were pushed to the shadows of the league’s past. the digital resurgence of these accusations serves as a reminder of a period when the legitimacy of every touchdown and field goal was openly questioned.
NFL match-fixing Don Moldea Pat Sajak Show NFL corruption gambling sports history