MLS bans two players, including a Union alum, for life for gambling on their own games
The league said Derrick Jones and Yaw Yeboah "engaged in extensive gambling on soccer" in the 2024 and '25 seasons, including on their own games — and in one case, on Jones' individual actions.
Long-ago Union academy product Derrick Jones and one of his former Columbus Crew teammates, Yaw Yeboah, were banned from MLS for life after being caught betting on the league’s games, including their own.
MLS said Monday it initiated an investigation “after receiving suspicious betting alerts through integrity partners.” The league placed the players on administrative leave in October, but the announcement at the time did not say why.
The investigation “concluded that the players engaged in extensive gambling on soccer” in the 2024 and ’25 seasons.
The announcement noted that “both players bet on Jones to draw a yellow card during an Oct. 19, 2024, match, which he received,” and that “the players likely shared confidential information with other bettors about their intent to draw yellow cards.”
Jones was born in Ghana, moved to Southwest Philadelphia as a teenager, and soon started playing for the Junior Lone Star youth soccer club. The midfielder was scouted by the Union and signed to its academy in 2013, and in 2016 became one of the team’s first official homegrown players.
He played 27 games over four years for the Union’s first team, and in 2017 earned a place on the U.S. under-20 World Cup team. Two years later, he was traded to Nashville SC. Jones played for three more MLS teams through the 2025 season: Houston, Charlotte, and Columbus.
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The Crew declined his contract option and he became a free agent. He was not with any team when the ban was announced.
Yeboah was with Columbus from 2022 to ’25, winning an MLS Cup title in 2023. The winger moved to Los Angeles FC at the start of 2025. In mid-January, the club quietly announced a mutual contract termination. The news release said Yeboah was still “subject to” the investigation, and the team would not comment further.
Last month, Yeboah signed with Chinese top-flight club Qingdao Hainiu. He has played one game there so far and scored a goal.
This is not the first time MLS has banned players for gambling. Former Sporting Kansas City midfielder Felipe Hernández had his contract terminated in 2024 after being caught for a second time. The first was in 2021. Hernández was banned from the league but was allowed to become eligible for reinstatement after Jan. 1 of this year if he applies. It is not known whether he has done so.
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.”
The league has commercial partnerships with sports betting firm DraftKings and prediction market platform Polymarket. It also regularly shows win probability graphics on the Apple TV broadcasts that it controls.