Nick Sirianni’s slip of the tongue highlights the inside information problem

Yes, legalized gambling will bring more corruption to sport. And it creates a greater obligation for leagues and teams to eliminate all possibilities for this.

The NFL’s injury reporting system continues to have significant deficiencies. Even if a team fully meets them, the basic requirements create plenty of scope for playfulness. The fact that teams routinely ignore these minimum commitments makes the problem even more serious – especially since the league refuses to do anything about it.

The ability of teams to hide injury information creates a real source of inside information that can be used or sold by those who know the truth about a player’s health. And it seems like teams are actually hiding injury information.

Consider the recent exchange between Eagles coach Nick Sirianni and reporters about quarterback Jalen Hurts. Here is the full text from the transcript provided by the team:

Q: We have never seen QB Jalen Hurts held back for load management. What was behind it on Wednesday?

A: Yes, he struggled with it – it said in the injury report that it was the ankle. You know, I’m just making sure we’re careful about everything.

QB Jalen Hurts was out with an ankle injury.

A: What was that? . . . That was a break, yes. Excuse me. . . . I thought you were talking about someone else.

Q. Does QB Jalen Hurts have an ankle problem?

A: No, rest.

Insert the sound of toothpaste being scraped off the sink and pushed back into the tube here.

Hurts is the starting quarterback. He is the most important player on the team. When it comes to the health of a player like Hurts, he cannot be confused with anyone else.

If Sirianni hadn’t simply misspoke (and I don’t think he did), this wouldn’t be a surprise. Last year, Hurts appeared to have a knee problem, according to multiple reports. The Eagles have consistently failed to disclose it. Without consequences or, as far as anyone knows, scrutiny from the league.

The league does not want to investigate these issues. Because the league doesn’t have to reveal to the world that teams are taking liberties with injury reports.

While it remains to be seen whether the new Republican-controlled government will be more anti-regulation or anti-vice when it comes to sports betting, the justice system offers an alternative path to accountability. Whether criminal or civil, it is only a matter of time before someone is accused of violating state and/or federal laws designed to protect consumers from, and penalize, fraudulent schemes that result from concealing injuries who use this information for purposes of obtaining ill-gotten gains.