Another Betting Scandal Rocks MLS | OneFootball

In a statement released this morning, MLS announced lifetime bans on two players in connection to gambling. Yaw Yeboah and Derrick Jones were the banned players, who according to the Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP “engaged in extensive gambling on soccer, including on their own teams, during the 2024 and 2025 seasons.” The legal firm was specifically engaged by MLS to investigate the issue.

Neither player has been rostered with a MLS team since being placed on administrative leave in October pending the accusations and subsequent investigation. 

The Guilty Parties

Yeboah, a 28 year old Ghanaian winger, last appeared for LAFC as a late substitute in their 1-0 loss to Austin on October 12, 2025.

He’s currently playing with Qingdong Hainiu where he scored the side’s lone goal in a 3-1 loss on Saturday. Before his transfer to LA, Yeboah played three seasons with Columbus Crew alongside Jones.

Derrick Jones, a 29 year-old midfielder, signed with Columbus Crew in late 2023 after stints with Charlotte FC, Houston Dynamo, Nashville SC and Philadelphia Union.

He wasn’t a regular starter and only played intermittently. His last appearance was in the 2024 season closer against New York Red Bulls on October 19, where he received a first half yellow card and was taken off at halftime. It was this card that raised suspicions and launched the league’s investigation, after both players were found to have placed bets on this event occurring.

MLS was clear to point out that none of the activities under investigation were found to have resulted in any match outcome being impacted.

Previous Incidents

In 2021, Sporting Kansas City midfielder Felipe Hernández self-reported his gambling habit to the league, including two incidents where he bet on MLS games (but not ones he played in). His admission (reported prompted by fear of retribution from bookies to whom he was in debt) led to his immediate suspension for the remainder of the season. After undergoing treatment for gambling addiction he was reinstated the following year. He currently plays for Des Moines Menace in the USL 2.

In 2023, Colorado Rapids winger Max Alves was implicated in a massive scandal back in his native Brazil. He was one of seven players indicted for match-fixing in a number of matches within the Brazilian top two flights. Alves was specifically accused of taking a bribe to draw a yellow card. While none of these events involved MLS, Alves was suspended by the Rapids after the accusations came to light and he never played in the league again, returning to Brazil after the 2023 season.