Social media’s murky depths constantly spew raw, bubbling oil. It’s a slick mess.
A clip from a 1989 episode of The Pat Sajak Show (when Wheel of Fortune’s host landed a late‑night gig for 15 months) is circulating on Twitter. In it, Dan Moldea talks about his book, Interference: How Organized Crime Influences Professional Football.
In the almost eight‑minute sit‑down, Moldea drops shocking assertions.
Moldea asserts that at least 26 current or former owners have proven links to gamblers or mobsters, and that by 1989 no fewer than 70 NFL contests were rigged.
Bookmaker Don Dawson reinforced the allegation, confessing he helped fix at least 32 games by colluding with quarterbacks to manipulate final scores.
According to Moldea, his work lists players implicated in schemes and pinpoints eight 1979 matchups that two referees allegedly rigged, later drawing FBI and IRS probes. In my view, exposing these names is essential for the sport’s integrity.
How did such a scandal stay hidden while it unfolded?
Moldea argues that at least 50 bona‑fide probes into NFL corruption were buried or aborted because NFL Security cozied up with federal, state and local law‑enforcement bodies.
Sajak half‑jokingly probes whether Moldea worries about his safety after exposing organized‑crime ties.
Moldea replies, “No one’s tried to kill me in nearly six years.”
More than three decades on, the book strikes a chord as legalized betting spreads across the nation and prediction‑market wagering becomes commonplace.
I’ve ordered a copy myself; Moldea seems unharmed, though tracking him down for further insight could prove worthwhile.