The Monday night football game to start the 2024 NFL season was supposed to be a battle between two of the most talented teams in the league. While the game ended up being a blowout, with the 49ers easily handling the Jets 32-19, it was Christian McCaffrey’s late scratch that sparked controversy in the otherwise boring matchup.
McCaffrey had nursed a calf/achilles injury throughout the week but he still managed to practice a normal amount. On Friday he was asked by Bay Area media if there was any doubt whether he would play Monday to which McCaffrey responded by saying, “No.”
He was then asked if he would have a normal workload to which he said, “I hope so.”
All indications were McCaffrey was ready to go Monday, only for the announcement to drop an hour before the game that McCaffrey would be out due to injury.
In a business where the value of the NFL is closely tied to fan interactions whether by gambling, playing fantasy football or by simply watching, this is tantamount to fraud. As a Christian McCaffrey fantasy owner, I am personally furious about the 49ers deceiving tactics.
Now sometimes the benefit of the doubt can be given. Players go out for warmups and it is plausible that he aggravated the injury or simply woke up Monday and felt worse. Completely understandable.
However, after 49ers backup Jordan Mason ran through, around and over the Jets defense en route to a 147-yard performance, he may have inadvertently spilled the beans in his post-game interview on the field.
In speaking to the media post-game, Mason was asked when he knew he was starting the game, to which he replied Friday… The same day Christian McCaffrey said there was “no doubt” he would be playing Monday.
Fortunately for my fantasy team, we managed to win with 8 players versus 9 but for the vast majority of fantasy players across the country, this last-minute switcheroo cost them their Week 1 win.
As for the gambling implications, McCaffrey was the most bet-on player for individual props. The line for the game would also have been greatly affected had the news come out promptly over the weekend. In the hour before the game when the news was official, the spread ran from 49ers -4.5 to -3 on some books.
This act of fraud is a slap in the face to NFL fans that power the recent rapid growth of the value of NFL franchises. The argument of holding the news to not give the opposing team an advantage is weak and disrespectful to the public that had just as much riding on McCaffrey and the 49er's success as they do.
I hope and suspect the NFL will come down with a heavy hand provided this situation is as it appears. 49ers do better.
