Jim Fassel Confessional: “I Have Always Looked At The Spread”

It is indeed rare to see a football coach, whether it be in the NFL or college, discuss sports betting spreads.  Jim Fassel took his New York Giants to the 2000 Super Bowl and, based on his shock admission, probably knew how big an underdog the bookies had made that team. 

Fassel is now coaching in the fledgling UFL and, perhaps fitting, heads up the defending champion Las Vegas Locos.

While the National Football League (NFL) condemns legalized sports betting (and the so-called “illegal” form that can be found on the Internet), the UFL welcomes it with open arms.

Fassel told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that checking out the point spread of a particular game he is coaching could prove important.  That admission, if still part of the NFL, would likely be considered a cardinal sin worthy of an exorcism.  

"I've never bet on a game and never will bet on a game," Fassel said. "But I have always looked at the spread."

The spread itself might not matter so much.  It’s whether his team is listed as an underdog that helps to get Fassel’s players fired up.

"I would use it for motivation if we were the 'dog," he said. "A lot of times you use it as motivation. Of course, you can't use that every week, but hopefully you're not the underdog every week, either."

The UFL is widely reported to be positioning itself as an alternative league should a strike occur in the NFL by year’s end 2011.  

From Street & Smith’s Sports Business:

The "key for the UFL is to survive for two years," and "if the NFL loses in labor, the UFL may win." The presence of the UFL is a "reminder to NFL owners to not overplay their hands" in upcoming CBA negotiations with the NFLPA. But Clayton noted if NFL owners and players reach a new CBA, the UFL will be "nothing more than a fall developmental league, which isn't so bad" (ESPN.com, 3/12).

The UFL’s 6 plus teams could be incorporated into the NFL at some point as well in which case Fassel won’t be discussing point spreads we at Gambling911.com suspect. 

Don Shapiro, Gambling911.com