ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Arapahoe County District Attorney's office notified the attorney of Eyioma Uwazurike that after a thorough review, no charges would be filed against the Denver Broncos player for gambling.
With no charges to be filed, Uwazurike is now cleared to apply to the NFL for reinstatement from his yearlong gambling suspension. He was suspended about this time last year for violating the league's gambling policy. Among the violations, Uwazurike was found to have placed bets on his phone app while at Broncos' facilities, and his bets also included games involving the Broncos.
Sean Payton, the Broncos' head coach, said at his training camp opening press conference last week the team wanted Uwazurike back should he be cleared by both state and local authorities and the NFL.
Uwazurike was eligible to apply for reinstatement with the NFL last Wednesday, but his matter was put on hold until the criminal review was completed. It's now up to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and the league's legal team to decide whether Uwazurike should be reinstated.
Uwazurike's gambling activity was under review by the Colorado Department of Revenue and Arapahoe County prosecutors to determine whether any state gambling laws were violated, sources told 9NEWS. Arapahoe County had been working with the state’s gaming department on a criminal investigation regarding Uwazurike.
After that review, Uwazurike's attorney Harvey Steinberg received notification Monday evening from the Arapahoe County DA that no charges would be filed.
The Arapahoe Country DA's office confirmed to 9NEWS on Monday evening that no charges would be filed against Uwazurike.
“We can all sleep well tonight knowing the Constitution applies with equal force both in the state of Iowa and state of Colorado,'' Steinberg said.
He was referring to gambling allegations against Uwazurike and other Iowa State athletes that were suppressed and dismissed because it was determined the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation wrongfully used a geolocation software to collect information on their locations. Attorneys for the plaintiffs, including Uwazurike, successfully argued that using the geolocation software was a violation of their constitutional rights.
“Iowa court suppressed all evidence seized, finding it was taken illegally,’’ Steinberg told 9NEWS earlier this month. “That ruling is binding on the Colorado courts and the Colorado prosecutors. It would be difficult, if not impossible, to attempt to prosecute a case here when all the charges were dismissed in Iowa as result of that ruling.”
Before an Iowa court suppressed all evidence against Uwazurike he was accused of placing 32 bets on five Broncos games in 2022, while disguising his identity on his FanDuel account by creating the appearance that a friend was placing the bets -- a violation of user term rules, Iowa state law and other regulatory bodies.
Uwazurike wasn't active in four of the five Broncos games in which bets were placed from the FanDuel app on his cell phone. The fifth game, Dec. 18, 2022 against the Arizona Cardinals, Uwazurike did play.
In all, Uwazurike was accused of making 801 bets totaling $21,361 -- an average of $26.67 a wager.
Uwazurike, 26, was a Broncos fourth-round pick in the 2022 draft out of Iowa State. An interior defensive lineman, Uwazurike had 9.0 sacks as a fifth-year senior. As a rookie for the Broncos, Uwazurike was inactive through the first half of the season, then played sparingly in the second half. His biggest play was a blocked field goal of a Harrison Butker attempt at the end of the first half in a game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Suspended indefinitely by the league with the 2023 season at minimum, Uwazurike is now tolled as a second year player. But now Uwazurike and the Broncos await the league's decision on his reinstatement. Potentially working in Uwazurike's favor is he has been regularly attending gambling anonymous meetings and also therapy sessions during the past year, according to a source close to him.
