Major League Soccer (MLS) permanently banned two players on Monday for gambling on soccer, including betting on their own matches.
Derrick Jones and Yaw Yeboah were placed on administrative leave in October pending a review of possible violations of league rules.
MLS said its investigation concluded that the players “engaged in extensive gambling in soccer, including on their own teams, during the 2024 and 2025 seasons.” The league cited an example of players betting on Jones to receive a yellow card in a 2024 match, which he did. Both players were with the Columbus Crew at the time.
“Major League Soccer has an unwavering commitment to the integrity of the game,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said in a statement. “The league will continue to enforce the policy, strengthen education efforts and advocate for the elimination of yellow card betting in all states to protect the integrity of competition for clubs, players and fans.”
Jones was playing for the Crew when he went on holiday. Jones’ former Columbus teammate, Yeboah, played for LAFC last season and currently plays for Qingdao Hainu in China.
MLS was alerted to the suspicious gambling through its Integrity Partners and hired a law firm to conduct a follow-up investigation. The crew cooperated with the probe.
“The Columbus Crew is proud of the reputation we have built in MLS and global soccer, which is rooted in respect and integrity throughout our organization,” the team said. “We completely condemn all actions and concepts inconsistent with these important values for our club, our teams, our league and the activities of any individual that go against the principles of fair competition that are at the heart of our sport.”
Jones, 29, played for the Philadelphia Union for four seasons starting in 2016. He later had stints in Nashville, Houston, and Charlotte before joining the Crew ahead of the 2024 season.
Yeboah, 28, has played for Crewe for three seasons from 2022-24.
