Major League Soccer has announced lifetime bans for midfielder Derrick Jones and winger Yaw Yeboah stemming from violations of the league's gambling policy,Yahoo Sports' Steven Goff reportedMonday.
Both players were suspended and placed on administrative leave by MLS in October 2025 while possible violations of league rules were reviewed. Jones most recently played for the Columbus Crew, while Yeboah played for LAFC last year. The two were teammates in Columbus during the 2024 season.
Yeboah is beloved by Columbus fans for scoring the go-ahead goal in the Crew's 2-1 win over LAFC in the 2023 MLS Cup final. He currently plays for Qingdao Hainiu FC in China, while Jones is not with any club.
In a statement, MLS said it had been notified of betting alerts through partners monitoring for suspicious activity. The league then retained law firm Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP to conduct an investigation, which subsequently found that Jones and Yeboah "engaged in extensive gambling on soccer, including on their own teams during the 2024 and 2025 seasons."
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"Major League Soccer remains steadfast in its commitment to match integrity," MLS Commissioner Don Garber said in the 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."
Prior to an Oct. 19, 2024, match with the New York Red Bulls, both players bet on Jones to receive a yellow card. Jones drew a yellow card during the match. During the 2024 season, Jones drew three yellow cards while Yeboah received two.
The league also stated the investigation found that Jones and Yeboah likely shared confidential information regarding their intent to draw yellow cards with other bettors. However, no evidence of such activities influencing the outcome of a match was discovered.
MLS has attempted to work with states and jurisdictions where sports betting is legal to remove yellow and red cards from potential wagers. Those efforts have resulted in 33 out of 41 jurisdictions prohibiting betting on cards being issued,according to The Athletic.
Players also receive training on the league's gambling policy and must sign an agreement verifying that they have undergone education on betting restrictions.
Previously, MLS suspended Sporting Kansas City's Felipe Hernandez in 2021 for betting on MLS games.