The fallout from the FBI’s blockbuster crackdown on an illegal sports betting and Mafia-backed poker ring involving high-profile NBA figures has taken a bizarre detour — courtesy of ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, who speculated on-air that President Trump was somehow orchestrating the arrests as part of a broader political warning shot.
That accusation didn’t sit well with FBI Director Kash Patel, who responded Thursday night with unflinching precision during an interview with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham.
“I’m the FBI director. I decide which arrests to conduct and which not to conduct,” Patel said bluntly, visibly incredulous at Smith’s comments. “That may be the single dumbest thing I’ve ever heard out of anyone in modern history. And I live most of my time in Washington, DC.”
He didn’t stop there. “It’s right up there with Adam Schiff,” he added, likening Smith’s conspiracy theory to the famously theatrical congressman’s long-discredited takes on Trump-Russia collusion. “We arrest people for crimes.”
Smith’s theory, aired during ESPN’s First Take, suggested the FBI’s high-profile takedown — which included the arrests of Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, and former Cavaliers player Damon Jones — was less about enforcing the law and more about a show of political muscle by Trump.
“It’s not coincidental. It’s not an accident. It’s a statement, and it’s a warning,” Smith warned, alleging the press conference announcing the arrests was meant to set a chilling tone for athletes and entertainers alike. He even dragged pop star Bad Bunny into the fray, suggesting Trump might deploy ICE agents at the Super Bowl halftime show and hinted the WNBA could be next.
But none of Smith’s speculation was backed by evidence — and it ignores the deep legal groundwork behind the FBI’s bust, which reportedly involved years of surveillance, wiretaps, and cooperation with federal prosecutors. This was no drive-by indictment. This was a sweeping operation that netted 31 individuals, including members of the Bonanno, Gambino, Genovese, and Lucchese Mafia families, and penetrated deeply into professional sports locker rooms and coaching circles.
The core of the scheme? A multimillion-dollar gambling ring that used rigged poker games, insider NBA information, and advanced tech like X-ray tables and contact lenses to cheat both in casinos and on the betting markets. The alleged profits totaled over $7 million in just two years, with Mafia operatives using NBA figures as “face cards” to lure victims.
Stephen A. may thrive on theatricality — but FBI criminal investigations do not. Kash Patel made that distinction crystal clear. This was about corruption, not optics. Crimes, not culture wars.
