Raiders DE Maxx Crosby Weighs In on Sports' Hottest Topic
The Las Vegas Raiders are located in a city that provides the highest of highs but can also provide the lowest of lows.
Resources Abound
Several players from the National Football League have recently gotten into trouble with gambling issues. With the league's connections to sportsbooks and casinos across the country booming, sports gambling and gambling in sports by athletes has become a hot topic.
Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby has cautioned his peers to proceed with caution and use the resources available to them.
“I think it's just about being aware and educated on exactly what the rules are and what you can and can't do. Gambling is going be around, it ain't going nowhere. It's not going anywhere. It's not like you're going to ban all gambling and all these things because of the money it generates. But at the same time, as an athlete and a professional, you have to know what the rules are. There's certain things you can do and certain things you can't do. That's on you as a professional," Crosby said on Jim Gray's Let's Go! podcast.
"And if you have questions, you have the NFLPA, you got front office, there's people and resources around to know what you can and can't do. So it truly just comes down to that and being smart and not risking everything for a little quick money."
Crosby and most athletes make millions of dollars throughout the course of their careers, which makes it hard to understand how gambling debts become an issue. However, like most addictions, gambling addictions can be hard to explain or predict.
While the Raiders' defensive end does not understand how some players are willing to risk it all to gamble, Crosby understands how addiction works.
"It's not like we're in a position where guys are gambling for future and generational wealth. The generational wealth comes from what you do on the field and what you do as an athlete. Risking that by cheating games or whatever it may entail, or guys trying to challenge the integrity of the game, I think is crazy to me," Crosby said.
“People say addiction is a disease, and I truly can relate to that because, of course, I knew what I was doing and what I was doing was wrong. And when I was drinking, I was out of control. But I still went back to it because my wiring is that way. And also my upbringing and what I went through and the demons that I, that was my way of expressing myself and getting away from my reality. To the outside, we call it like normies, like people who don't have addiction problems, they're like, ‘What is wrong with this person? Why would they do that? If you have a drinking problem, stop drinking.’ It's not that simple."
Severity of Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco’s Knee Injury Revealed: Report
While the Kansas City Chiefs woke up in the second half of Monday Night Football to snag a 28-7 win over the Washington Commanders, they didn’t escape at 100% health.
In the second half of play, running back Isiah Pacheco suffered a knee injury. Head coach Andy Reid confirmed the ailment to his fourth-year man but didn’t have details immediately.
With Kansas City getting back on the practice field this week, they’ll have to manage Pacheco’s knee. Tom Pelissero of NFL Media provided a fresh outlook with more information on Tuesday afternoon.
Isiah Pacheco Suffered MCL Sprain in Chiefs’ Monday Night Football Win Over Commanders
It’s an MCL sprain, according to Pelissero.
“Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco, who left Monday night’s win with a knee injury, is considered week-to-week with an MCL sprain, per sources,” Pelissero’s tweet revealed.
#Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco, who left Monday night’s win with a knee injury, is considered week-to-week with an MCL sprain, per sources.
Pacheco’s injury occurred in the fourth quarter of Week 8. On a second-and-9 rush attempt, the former seventh-round pick was tackled by Trey Amos and Jeremy Reaves. His knee bent inward, thus causing him to exit to the sideline. Pacheco didn’t log a single touch the rest of the game, as Kansas City punted two plays later and their final play of the contest on drive No. 9 was a kneel-down.
At the time of his injury, Pacheco was turning in a solid performance. He carried the ball 12 times on the ground, racking up 58 yards with a longest rush of 13 yards. It marked his third-straight contest with 50+ rushing yards. He played 40 offensive snaps on Monday, his fourth game in a row with at least that many.
Since a slow start to the season, Pacheco has come alive for the Chiefs. In Weeks 3-8, he averaged 4.5 yards per rush attempt and scored a pair of touchdowns. According to SumerSports, his 5.13% tackle-for-loss clip is seventh-best among 58 halfbacks with at least 25 attempts on the year.
The Chiefs are on a quick turnaround, as Week 9 sees them face the Buffalo Bills on short rest. Sunday’s matchup, whether Pacheco is available or not, kicks off at 4:25 p.m. ET in Orchard Park.
Assessing Kansas City’s RB Options With Pacheco Injured
In the event that Pacheco misses time, the Chiefs have some potential paths to take. Perhaps the most straightforward one would be not playing him against Buffalo on Sunday and letting him rest through the Week 10 bye. That’d give him plenty of time to rehab before Week 11’s Sunday afternoon showdown with the Denver Broncos — a pivotal meeting.
If Pacheco is out at all (and perhaps even if he isn’t), Kansas City can also turn to its internal options.
The obvious one is Kareem Hunt. Despite coming into Week 8 with injuries of his own, he played through the pain and had 9 carries for 40 yards and a touchdown. He also hauled in a two-yard receiving touchdown against Washington, his first of the year. Hunt is a tremendous short-yardage back and boasts a 56.5% success rate, but he doesn’t generate chunk runs. Among running backs with 50+ carries, he trails only Chuba Hubbard of the Carolina Panthers for lowest explosive rush percentage.
Rookie Brashard Smith stood out as a mismatch nightmare in the offseason program, and he’s shown flashes as a rookie. In 89 offensive snaps, he’s logged 39 touches at a 5.1-yard clip on average. A converted wide receiver, he’s far more effective as a pass-catching weapon than a pure halfback at this stage.
Veteran Elijah Mitchell is the wild card here. The offseason free agent pickup underwhelmed during the preseason but snuck through to the initial 53-man roster anyway. Unfortunately for the former San Francisco 49ers standout, he’s been a healthy scratch for key games this season. Whatever he can offer would be a relative unknown.
