Arizona Department of Gaming is investigating Cardinals' exec Ryan Gold

Published July 21, 2026 11:46 PM Cardinals director of college scouting Ryan Gold has two different problems arising from allegations of violating the NFL’s gambling policy. First, Gold has been suspended indefinitely by the league. Second, via David Purdum of ESPN, the Arizona Department of Gaming is investigating the situation.A spokesperson for the Arizona Department of Gaming told Purdum that the department has been notified of the incident and “regularly work[s] with integrity monitoring organizations and sports leagues in situations like this.”Gold is accused of making parlay wagers and sharing inside information regarding the team’s draft picks. His lawyer, Mike Caspino, previously told ESPN that Gold’s wife was making bets with a group of friends, and that Gold didn’t know the team’s draft picks before they were made.There has been some online chatter that Gold personally placed a wager on a parlay regarding the Cardinals’ first five picks in the draft. That would be, even if Gold had full information as to the team’s draft board, a difficult prediction to make because it takes only one team taking one player sooner than expected to send everything sideways. As we understand it, Gold is accused of sharing information about the team’s intended first-round pick, running back Jeremiyah Love. Gold will say, we believe, that he didn’t know Love would be the third overall pick, and that only owner Michael Bidwill and G.M. Monti Ossenfort knew. The league will say, we believe, that Gold’s title and job duties put him in position to make a strong educated guess — especially since there were no surprises with the first and second overall picks.It creates a gray area regarding inside information. Gold possibly wasn’t in position to know the exact truth, but he knew more than the average person by nature of his employment.As a source with another team explained it, the NFL wouldn’t have made the accusation if they didn’t believe they had the proof they needed. Really, why would the NFL shine a spotlight on what has become its first inside-information scandal in the age of legalized gambling if they weren’t sure a violation had occurred.Gold nevertheless will appeal, and he should have a full and fair chance to defend himself.