The 30 Greatest Sports Conspiracy Theories of All-Time - Elliott Kalb [87]
In 1942, the Redskins finished 10-1 and won the NFL Championship, defeating the Bears 14-6 in the Championship Game. Their only loss came against the New York Giants in the second week of the season. They ran off nine straight victories to end the season, by an average margin of victory greater than thirteen points. They began the 1943 season 6-0-1, outscoring their first seven opponents by 198-65 (or nineteen points per game). In their next game, however, the Redskins lost 27-14 at home to the Pittsburgh-Philadelphia Steagles (the Steelers and Eagles had combined to make the Steagles because of the war). The week after, the Redskins fell to the Giants 14-10. The team that had gone 15-0-1 over two seasons had suddenly gone 0-2, and needed a victory in their season finale against the Giants on December 12, to avoid falling into a playoff against the Giants, with the winner meeting the Bears in Chicago for the League Championship.
Throughout this period, there were whispers that turned into loud rumblings. Following the loss to the Giants, articles appeared in the newspapers that hinted at a fix. On December 8, 1943, the Associated Press reported the following:
Pro football in general and the champion Washington Redskins in particular set out to clear the air of rumors that gamblers had something to do with some of the surprising upsets this season. NFL officials brushed away reports that players associated with gamblers, calling it “pool hall gossip.” Nevertheless, the league served notice that any [legitimate] evidence would be appreciated so that the guilty parties could be thrown out of the sport for life.
The NFL and Washington management reported that inquiries had been conducted earlier in the season, and that no evidence of game fixing had turned up. Owner Marshall reported that “anyone who says a Redskins player has been betting on professional football is a liar,” and he offered a $5,000 reward for proof of the contrary.
The Redskins were looked at as heavy favorites to defeat both the Steagles and the Giants. Both games were in Washington, where the Redskins hadn’t lost since September of ’42.
On December 9, the United Press Staff Correspondent Jack Cuddy wrote, “Our only criticism of the current pro football fricassee is this: Commissioner Elmer Layden and owner George Preston Marshall should not have recognized the scandal-shouters with their protesting denials. They should have let the bookies stew in their own deficit juices—in their own evil-smelling telephone booths.”
Cuddy’s opinion was that the great tempest was raised by bookmakers, who invested lots of money into games which resulted in great upsets. On November 14, the Bears beat the Giants 56-7. The next week, the Redskins defeated those same Bears. That would have made Washington the obvious choice to destroy New York, but the Giants upset the Skins, 14-10. It was the first game all season in which Sammy Baugh didn’t throw a touchdown pass. According to Cuddy, “Coach Steve Owen of the Giants let Sammy Baugh pass at will, but kept his receivers protected like so many convent girls.” Don Imus couldn’t have said it any worse, but it was a different time.
And with the sportswriters both flowery and naive, the National Football League could issue anything they wanted, and not be challenged.
On December 15, 1943, Harry Sheer, a sportswriter for the Chicago Daily News, wrote that Commissioner Layden was tricked into the admission that an investigation was under way by an editor from the Washington Times-Herald. The Washington editor warned Commissioner Layden that a rival paper was publishing the story and in order to be fair to all newspapers,