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 have been revealed about Hernández’s offenses this time.
Hernández was suspended in October 2021 after the league launched an investigation into his gambling activities in July. Hernández told the club he had personal gambling debts and was concerned about his safety. He later entered counseling for gambling addiction and the situation was turned over to law enforcement.
Investigation revealed that Hernández had placed online bets on two MLS matches that did not involve Sporting KC. No indications have been found that he had confidential information about those two matches.
“Over the past few months, I have been able to reassess my actions, take responsibility and receive proper care for something that has deeply affected me,” Hernandez wrote in a statement posted to social media in 2021.
Sporting KC head coach Peter Vermes said at the time that he believed Hernández deserved a second chance.
Hernández signed with Sporting KC in 2019 as a homegrown player and has made 76 appearances for the club.
