Bernie Kosar sues over ceremonial bet that got him fired by Browns

Legendary Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar, who once got the treatment from Bill Belichick that Tom Brady spent 20 years trying to avoid, got fired by the Browns a second time in 2023 — for placing a wager on a sportsbook app after Ohio legalized gambling.

Kosar is now suing over the incident.

Via Amos Morales III of TheAthletic.com, Kosar filed a civil suit against podcasting company BIGPLAY and co-owner Kendall Myles. In the complaint, Kosar claims that the company breached its contract with him, and attempted to threaten him so that he would change the terms of his deal.

He seeks damages in excess of $850,000, along with approximately $25,000 in attorneys’ fees.

In a nutshell, Kosar claims the company told him he had to place a $19,000 bet on the Browns to beat the Steelers. The wager was required by his contract, but his contract also “guaranteed that Mr. Kosar would ‘not be liable, nor responsible, for the amount of the wager nor will be entitled to any winnings that may occur as a result of the wager.’”

After Kosar placed the bet, the Browns fired Kosar for violating the league’s gambling policy.

The lawsuit encompasses other alleged incidents in which Kosar’s agreement allegedly wasn’t honored. Kosar claims Myles verbally assaulted and threatened him.

A lawyer representing the defendants called the allegations “false.”

True or false, Kosar had a dilemma. The NFL’s gambling policy prohibits wagering. His deal with BIGPLAY required him to place a wager. Even if his BIGPLAY contract said he wouldn’t be liable or responsible for the bet, and that he wouldn’t get any of the winnings, that’s not binding on the NFL.

Unless the BIGPLAY contract also promised to compensate Kosar for any collateral losses he might experience because of the wagers (including but not limited to the loss of his job with the Browns), this could be a tough one for the former quarterback to win.

In hindsight, he should have been sure that one employer wouldn’t object to something another employer wanted him to do.

It’s just another example of the way that legalized wagering has impacted widespread aspects of the NFL and other sports. In many situations, folks won’t know the best way to handle these new situations until someone handles a given situation the wrong way, creating a lesson for anyone else in that same situation.