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MLB commissioner addresses sport’s illegal gambling scandal, will cooperate with Congress on investigation

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MLB commissioner addresses sport’s illegal gambling scandal, will cooperate with Congress on investigation

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Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said Wednesday the league will cooperate with a U.S. Senate committee’s request for documents detailing gambling investigations. 

“We’re going to respond fully and cooperatively and on time to the Senate inquiry,” Manfred said during a news conference at an owners meeting.

The sport has been rocked by a scandal involving Cleveland Guardians players Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, who are accused of aiding gamblers by taking bribes to rig pitches.

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MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred speaks during the first round of the MLB Draft July, 13, 2025, in Atlanta.  (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Senators Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee sent a letter Monday to Manfred asking for information by Dec. 5. 

The committee is asking for responses to six questions by that date:

  1. “How and when was MLB made aware of suspicious betting and game manipulation activity by Emmanuel Clase or Luis Ortiz? Provide documents sufficient to support your response?”
  2. “Provide documents sufficient to show MLB’s policies and procedures relating to sports betting, gambling, or game rigging by MLB or an affiliated team’s players, coaches, employees, or owners.”
  3. “List any investigation into an MLB or affiliate team’s players, coaches, employees, or owners for violating MLB rules relating to sports betting, gambling, or game rigging or related criminal conduct between January 1, 2020, and the present.”
  4. “Provide all documents related to any investigation listed in response to Request 3, including: Procedures and policies used to conduct any relevant investigation; Documents received by third parties or otherwise collected by MLB during any relevant investigation; and Findings, conclusions, and actions taken as a result of any relevant investigation.”
  5. Procedures and policies used to conduct any relevant investigation;
  6. Documents received by third parties or otherwise collected by MLB during any relevant investigation; and
  7. Findings, conclusions, and actions taken as a result of any relevant investigation.”
  8. “Provide communications between MLB and any sports betting platform or sports gambling integrity monitor regarding suspicious or flagged sports wagers: Placed by MLB’s or an affiliated team’s players, coaches, employees, or owners; or Placed on MLB games or propositions related to MLB games, players, or teams.”
  9. Placed by MLB’s or an affiliated team’s players, coaches, employees, or owners; or
  10. Placed on MLB games or propositions related to MLB games, players, or teams.”
  11. “Explain the extent to which MLB has addressed and plans to further address the alleged instances of sports betting, gambling, and game rigging that have occurred including: How, if at all, MLB plans to revise its rules, policies, procedures, or enforcement structure; How, if at all, MLB plans to revise or enforce its rules relating to cellphone use during games; and How MLB plans to ensure players, employees, coaches, and owners do not have ties to organized crime.”
  12. How, if at all, MLB plans to revise its rules, policies, procedures, or enforcement structure;
  13. How, if at all, MLB plans to revise or enforce its rules relating to cellphone use during games; and
  14. How MLB plans to ensure players, employees, coaches, and owners do not have ties to organized crime.”

Two days after the indictments were unsealed on Nov. 9, MLB said its authorized gaming operators will cap bets on individual pitches at $200 and exclude them from parlays.

“We think the steps we’ve taken in terms of limiting the size of these prop bets and prohibiting parlays off them is a really, really significant change that should reduce the incentive for anyone to be involved in an inappropriate way,” Manfred said.

MLB CRACKS DOWN WITH NEW BETTING LIMIT AFTER CLEVELAND PITCHERS CHARGED IN GAMBLING SCHEME

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Senators Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee sent a letter Monday to Manfred asking for information by Dec. 5.  (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)

Manfred said MLB’s internal investigation into the Cleveland pitchers didn’t have a timetable. Ortiz was placed on paid leave July 3 and Clase was placed on leave July 28. 

“We think that we should take advantage of the offseason to make sure that we conduct the most thorough and complete investigation possible,” he said. 

Both Ortiz and Clase have pleaded not guilty. 

Clase and Ortiz were arrested and appeared in federal court in New York last week. Clase, a three-time All-Star, pleaded not guilty to charges that he took bribes to help gamblers win money on his pitches. Ortiz also pleaded not guilty to the charges.

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Officials said in the indictment that, from May 2023 to June 2025, Clase agreed with one co-conspirator to “throw specific pitches in certain MLB games” so that the bettors they were allegedly partnered with “would profit from illegal wagers made based on that inside information.” Ortiz allegedly joined the scheme in June 2025.

The indictment said Clase conferred with one bettor to throw a ball on the first pitch of an at-bat when he was brought into games in relief. The indictment pointed to instances in specific games, including May 19, 2023, vs. the New York Mets; June 2, 2023, vs. the Minnesota Twins; and June 7, 2023, vs. the Boston Red Sox.

Clase allegedly began to request and receive bribes and kickback payments for agreeing to throw the specific pitches in April, according to the indictment. In one instance, the indictment said, Clase used his phone in the middle of a game to coordinate with a bettor on a pitch he would throw.

Bettors allegedly won $400,000 from betting platforms on pitches thrown by Clase between 2023 and 2025.

When Ortiz allegedly joined the scheme, the indictment said, he agreed to throw balls over strikes on certain pitches in exchange for bribes or kickbacks. He allegedly agreed to throw a ball on June 15 against the Seattle Mariners for around $5,000 in his first pitch in the second inning.

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The indictment said Ortiz agreed to throw a ball in his first pitch of the third inning on June 27 against the St. Louis Cardinals for $7,000. In June 2025, bettors won at least $60,000 on pitches thrown by Ortiz.

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Cleveland Guardians pitchers Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase’s leave was extended indefinitely Aug. 31, 2025. (IMAGN/AP)

The indictment announcement came weeks after three NBA figures were swept up in an FBI operation involving alleged illegal gambling. Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier and Damon Jones were among the more than two dozen arrested in the alleged scheme.

Fox News Digital’s Ryan Gaydos and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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Penn State commits visiting Virginia Tech after James Franklin becomes head coach

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Penn State commits visiting Virginia Tech after James Franklin becomes head coach

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The James Franklin effect is already taking shape.

Franklin was fired from Penn State last month after a dreadful start proved to be the last straw, given his lack of success against top 10 teams throughout his tenure. But, last week, Virginia Tech officially hired him to lead its football program, and he is already apparently making his mark.

According to Rivals, five Penn State commits have taken, or are set to take, official visits to Franklin’s new school.

 

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Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin speaks during a news conference at Cassell Coliseum.  (Brian Bishop/Imagn Images)

Offensive linemen Benjamin Eziuka and Roseby Lubintus both told the outlet they would be making visits, as did the father of four-star quarterback Troy Huhn. 

Franklin was fired by Penn State after the Nittany Lions’ loss to Northwestern, the program’s third straight defeat and another shocking result after a loss to UCLA the previous week. The Nittany Lions are 4-6 on the season and 1-6 in Big Ten play.

It’s been a lackluster few seasons for Virginia Tech under head coach Brent Pry and his predecessor, Justin Fuente. However, Franklin’s adaptive approach to the modern college football landscape could turn things around quickly in Blacksburg.

L-R, John Rocovich, Timothy Sands, James Franklin and Whit Babcock hold up a Virginia Tech jersey during a news conference announcing Franklin as head coach at Cassell Coliseum.  (Brian Bishop/Imagn Images)

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Franklin will be the most accomplished head coach for the program since Frank Beamer retired in 2015 after 29 seasons leading the Hokies. Franklin, who coached at Vanderbilt before joining Penn State, went 128-60 over his 15 seasons as a head coach.

Despite this season’s struggles, Franklin was coming off a 2024 campaign that included a College Football Playoff semifinal appearance and a 2016 Big Ten championship.

“I can’t wait. … I’ve been watching that intro to college football my entire life,” Franklin said in his opening news conference. “It’s something special.

Virginia Tech football coach James Franklin and wife Fumi enter a press conference where he is introduced as head coach at Cassell Coliseum.  (Brian Bishop/Imagn Images)

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“We were a drive away from playing in the national championship, so I know what it looks like,” Franklin added.

Fox News’ Scott Thompson contributed to this report.

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Two Dodgers executives to advise Lakers during ownership transition

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Two Dodgers executives to advise Lakers during ownership transition

The sports executives whom Mark Walter and his Guggenheim Baseball Management trusted to turn around the Dodgers and make them World Series winners have now enlisted Farhan Zaidi and Andrew Friedman to take on advisory roles with the Lakers, people not authorized to speak publicly on the matter confirmed to The Times on Friday.

Walter, the controlling owner of the Dodgers, purchased majority ownership of the Lakers for a $10-billion evaluation and has started a transition from the Buss family ownership by having Zaidi and Friedman become more involved.

Zaidi is an advisor with Guggenheim and he was the former president of baseball operations with the San Francisco Giants and a former Dodgers general manager. He also has been consulting with the Sparks, another team that Walter owns.

Friedman is the president of baseball operations for the Dodgers and has overseen a team that has won three World Series titles in the last six years.

Both are known in the baseball world as executives who rely on analytics. The Lakers have been known as having a weak analytics department, so Zaidi and Friedman will play a role in improving that.

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Friedman already has been talking with Rob Pelinka, the Lakers’ president of basketball operations, according to people with knowledge of the situation.

The Lakers began making changes in their front office when they fired Joey and Jesse Buss as well as some scouts on Thursday.

Joey Buss was an alternate governor and vice president of research and development with the Lakers while Jesse was the team’s assistant general manager and head of the scouting department.

Fresh off winning a World Series with the Dodgers, Walter, who had been a minority owner of the Lakers since he bought 27% of the franchise with Todd Boehly in 2021, promptly sat courtside for the next Lakers home game Nov. 2. He looked on when the Lakers honored the world champion Dodgers at a home game on Nov. 5.

Walter was part of the group that purchased the Dodgers for $2 billion in 2012. Since then, the team has won three World Series titles in five appearances with 13 consecutive playoff berths.

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Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb clears up rumors about why he, teammate were benched vs Raiders

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Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb clears up rumors about why he, teammate were benched vs Raiders

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Dallas Cowboys star CeeDee Lamb opened up about why he and teammate George Pickens were benched for the first drive of the team’s blowout win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

Lamb explained that he and Pickens were out late at a Las Vegas casino and were disciplined for returning past curfew. The wide receiver also said he wanted to refute reports on social media that he was seen throwing up at the casino the morning before the game.

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, left, celebrates his touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders with Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) during the first half of an NFL football game Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, in Las Vegas.  (AP Photo/David Becker)

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“That’s a disrespect to even suggest that,” Lamb said, via The Dallas Morning News. “I know how to hold my liquor.”

Regardless of the benching, Lamb and Pickens had themselves a dynamite game.

Pickens had nine catches for 144 yards and a 37-yard touchdown catch. Lamb had five catches for 66 yards and a touchdown. Their touchdowns helped contribute to Dak Prescott’s incredible game as he was 25-of-33 with 268 passing yards and four touchdown passes.

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Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Ryan Flournoy, left, celebrates his touchdown catch against the Las Vegas Raiders with Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb during the second half of an NFL football game Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, in Las Vegas.  (AP Photo/David Becker)

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Pickens, who was acquired by the Cowboys in the offseason from the Pittsburgh Steelers, has had a terrific year in Dallas. He has 58 catches for 908 yards and seven touchdowns, as he’s pacing for his best season yet as a pro.

Lamb missed a couple of games with an injury. He has 40 catches for 557 yards and two touchdown catches.

George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb of the Dallas Cowboys celebrate a touchdown during the second quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on Nov. 17, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Ian Maule/Getty Images)

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The Cowboys, despite their stunning trade of Micah Parsons, are still hanging around playoff contention and have a big game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. Dallas will enter the game 4-5-1 and Philadelphia will be at 8-2.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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