MLS issued lifetime bans on Monday to Derrick Jones and Yaw Yeboah, two players who were provisionally suspended last fall and have since been found to be in violation of the league’s anti-gambling policies.
An investigation found that the pair bet “extensively” on soccer matches, including ones involving their own teams, during the 2024 and 2025 MLS seasons. The investigation also revealed that both players bet on Jones to receive a yellow card during the Columbus Crew’s 3-2 win at the New York Red Bulls in October 2024, which he did receive. There was no evidence to suggest their gambling activities impacted the outcome of a match, though investigators concluded that Jones and Yeboah likely shared confidential information with others about their plans to draw yellow cards.
Major League Soccer remains steadfast in its commitment to match integrity,” MLS commissioner Don Garber said in a statement. “The league will continue to enforce its policies, enhance education efforts, and advocate for the elimination of yellow card wagering in all states to protect the integrity of our competition for clubs, players, and fans.”
Both players were placed on administrative leave in October after MLS received notice of suspicious activity from the league’s integrity partners, each of them banned from team activity.
Neither Jones nor Yeboah is currently under contract with an MLS club. Jones had an option on his contract that was rejected by the Crew in November and is currently without a club. Yeboah agreed to a mutual contract termination with LAFC in January and signed with Chinese Super League club Qingdao Hainiu in February. Before his time with LAFC, Yeboah was Jones’ teammate at the Crew.
This is not the first time MLS has punished players for violating the league’s rules against gambling. Ex-Sporting Kansas City midfielder Felipe Hernandez was suspended in October 2021 for betting on MLS matches, though he returned to the fold for the 2022 season. He was then placed on administrative leave in June 2024 for a further violation of the policy and that September, the league terminated his contract.
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