Major League Soccer announced Friday that Sporting Kansas City midfielder Felipe Hernández has been placed on administrative leave after it was reported that he violated the league’s gambling policy.
The league also noted that Hernández may have violated the terms of his January 2022 Reinstatement after being suspended in 2021 for violating the league’s “gambling integrity rules and standards of conduct.”
The league is currently conducting an investigation.
No details were revealed about the violations Hernández committed this time.
Hernández was suspended in October 2021 after the league launched an investigation into his betting activity that July. Hernández told the club that he had personal gambling debts and was concerned about his safety. He later entered counseling for a gambling addiction and the situation was turned over to authorities.
An investigation found that Hernández placed online bets on two MLS games that did not involve Sporting KC. No evidence was discovered that he had confidential information about these two matches.
“Over the past few months, I have been able to reevaluate, take responsibility for my actions, and get appropriate care for something that has affected me greatly,” Hernandez wrote in a statement posted on social media in 2021.
Sporting KC coach Peter Vermes said at the time that he believed Hernández deserved a second chance.
Hernández signed with Sporting KC as a homegrown player in 2019 and has played 76 times for the club.
