MLS Bans Derrick Jones and Yaw Yeboah for Life Over Gambling Violations
Major League Soccer has issued lifetime bans to former teammates Derrick Jones and Yaw Yeboah after both bet on soccer matches
Major League Soccer has handed lifetime bans to former players Derrick Jones and Yaw Yeboah after a formal investigation concluded that both had violated the league’s gambling policy.
The league determined that the two former Columbus Crew teammates bet on soccer matches, including games involving their own teams, across the 2024 and 2025 seasons. In the US, the NBA is still dealing with fallout from a betting scandal that rocked the American hoops league a year ago.
The disciplinary action represents one of the most serious gambling-related sanctions in MLS history.
How the Investigation Began
The inquiry began after monitoring partners flagged suspicious betting patterns involving both players. MLS retained an external law firm to conduct a detailed investigation, and in October 2025, placed Jones and Yeboah on administrative leave while the review was ongoing.
The investigation covered betting activity during their shared time at the Columbus Crew in 2024, as well as Yeboah’s 2025 stint with Los Angeles FC.
Investigators concluded that both players engaged in extensive wagering on soccer throughout that period, including bets tied to outcomes of matches in which they participated.
One specific instance was highlighted in the league’s findings. During a match on October 19, 2024, both players placed bets on Jones receiving a yellow card during the game. According to the league, Jones received the card during that match. Investigators also concluded that the two players likely exchanged information with each other related to the wagers, sharing inside knowledge connected to their betting activity.
The league was clear, however, that its investigation found no evidence the bets affected the results of any matches.
The League’s Response
MLS Commissioner Don Garber issued a statement underscoring the league’s commitment to competitive integrity. He said MLS would continue to enforce its gambling policies, strengthen educational programs for players, and advocate for the elimination of yellow card wagering markets in all states. The ability of bettors to wager on individual player discipline events has drawn increasing concern from leagues across professional sports.
The Columbus Crew also released a statement condemning the players’ conduct. The club confirmed it had cooperated fully with the league’s investigation from the outset and that it strictly enforces all MLS gambling education and compliance requirements with its personnel.
Neither player was under contract with an MLS club at the time the bans were announced. Jones had his team option declined by Columbus in November. Yeboah had already departed LAFC earlier in 2026 and signed with Chinese Super League side Qingdao Hainiu FC.
Career Backgrounds
Derrick Jones played in 23 matches across the 2024 and 2025 seasons with the Crew. His MLS career also included stints with the Philadelphia Union, Nashville SC, Houston Dynamo, and Charlotte FC. Yaw Yeboah joined MLS in 2022 when he signed with Columbus, before moving to LAFC for the 2025 season.
A Growing Pattern Across Professional Sports
The Jones and Yeboah case adds to a mounting list of gambling-related suspensions across North American professional sports. Within MLS, Sporting Kansas City midfielder Felipe Hernandez received discipline in 2021 after self-reporting bets on two league games not involving his team. He was later placed on administrative leave again in 2024, and his contract was ultimately terminated.
Other leagues have issued similarly severe penalties. MLB handed a lifetime ban to Tucupita Marcano in 2024 after he wagered on baseball through a licensed sportsbook and on international games. The NBA banned former Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter for life after he was found to have shared inside information with a group connected to betting activity. Porter later pleaded guilty to federal wire fraud charges.
NBC just launched a fictional show regarding a major American sports star after a betting scandal cut his career short, displaying just how mainstream and prevalent this has become.
At the college level, the NCAA ruled multiple basketball players ineligible following a federal investigation into a suspected betting syndicate that targeted college games, with some cases involving game manipulation and the sharing of information with outside bettors.
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