Navy sends message to bettors following loss to Rice football team: 'We don't care'
Navy athletics has had enough of bettors and their complaints about parlays following the Midshipmen's loss to Rice on Saturday, 24-10.
Navy was a 12.5-point favorite heading into the game against Rice with the underdog set at 48.5 points, according to FOX Sports, via Data Skrive. Both teams have a combined total of 34 points.
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Navy Midshipmen quarterback Blake Horvath passes the ball against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Oct. 26, 2024. (Photos by Vincent Carchietta-Imagn)
The team decided to kick a 21-yard field goal with 8:34 left in the fourth quarter instead of going for a touchdown. The team then turned the ball over on downs and threw the field on their final two drives.
“To be clear, we don't care who you bet on or who participates in your parlays,” the school's athletic department wrote to X. “That's a quick block. We don't care.”
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The rise in the amount of sports betting over the past five years has also led to a backlash for teams and players. Although players have talked about the attractions of football fans in interviews and on social media, the prevalence of gambling has led to anger among bettors.
A Navy football sits in an equipment bag before the Notre Dame game at MetLife Stadium on Oct. 26, 2024. (Photos by Vincent Carchietta-Imagn)
NFL running back Saquon Barkley and quarterback Tommy DeVito revealed to Fox News Digital in January that they received requests for money from fans when the players did not help them hit their parlays.
“I would say the idea of sports gambling is definitely at a high level. Every week, I get a tweet about some parlay, some kind of sports betting that I'm a part of,” said Barkley. “There are times when I help other people win some money, and there are times when I get a DM or a message that says, 'Cash App me $200 right now.'
DeVito said he saw the pros and cons that come with gambling on sports.
Midfielders stand on the field during a flyover before the Notre Dame game, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
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“I think it's good and bad. People get to win money, some people lose money. I think it's funny, like Say, when he gets tweets and mentions them,” he said. “For me, I've gotten Cash App requests, Venmo requests. Like, 'You didn't hit your passing yards' or whatever. I think it's all fun. It's all fun and games. But, like me he said, I want people to win money, but, at the same time, that is the nature of your gambling.
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