Ross Verba arrested for failing to pay gambling debt

Posted by Mike Florio on November 27, 2009, 5:59 PM EST

Former Packers, Browns and Lions offensive lineman Ross Verba has been arrested and accused of failing to pay a gambling debt, the Associated Press is reporting.

Prosecutors in Clark County, Nevada, say Verba was arrested in Phoenix this week and is charged with three counts of writing bad checks to the Palms, a Las Vegas casino, in January of 2008. Verba is in jail and is fighting extradition to Nevada.

This isn’t the first time Verba has been in trouble relating to gambling debts. In 2007 he was arrested on charges of writing bad checks to pay a $50,000 debt at another casino, Wynn Las Vegas. Verba eventually paid the debt, and those charges were dropped.

Verba retired after the 2006 season, and it’s not clear whether any of his gambling activities took place while he was an NFL player. It’s also not clear what type of gambling he was engaged in to run up the large debts.

Verba was the Packers’ first-round draft pick in 1997. He played four seasons with Green Bay, four with Cleveland and one with Detroit.

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15 responses to “Ross Verba arrested for failing to pay gambling debt”

  3. He put all his debts double or nothing on his former team the Browns when they were up 24-3 against the Lions.

  4. And if he did double up on the Browns, he would have won: the Browns were 3 point underdogs and covered the spread, losing by 1.

  5. After living in Green Bay, Cleveland and Detroit, you’d think his problems would be booze and hard drugs.

  6. JoeSixPack says:
    November 27, 2009 6:37 PM
    “He put all his debts double or nothing on his former team the Browns when they were up 24-3 against the Lions.”
    That would have been funny except for one minor detail. Verba would have won that bet. The Browns were 3 point dogs and the Lions won by a point.

  7. and yesterdays giants-denver line mysteriously dropped 2 and a half points late yesterday afternoon and the SMART money was right again.
    and then the giants who went from 7 point favorites to 4 and a half do not show up and give a half effort.

  9. Ross Verba. There’s a blast from the past.
    He PAID the Browns $465,000 of his roster bonus to leave the team in June 2005. His 2005 and 2006 contract was for $2.9 million/year. The Browns could not release him fast enough. He had been sitting out mini-camp seeking a contract for $38.5 million over 5 years. Talk about someone who was delusional. He cost himself millions by telling the owner he wanted out of town.
    He didn’t play in 2005, I can’t seem to find out why online, and he played 7 games for Detroit in 2006 before his career was over. He always had an exaggerated opinion of his own abilities.
    Verba = Tool

  12. The Green Bay Raiders
    Only problem was both Verba and Chumra were serviceable players in Green Bay, both encountered their problems after leaving the Packers. The Raiders seem to want to only sign a player that is a problem, Javon Walker for example, what a piece of shit he is and was and GB couldn’t get rid of him fast enough and Oakland couldn’t wait to pay him too much.

  14. “Only problem was both Verba and Chumra were serviceable players in Green Bay, both encountered their problems after leaving the Packers.”
    Ahhhh, no. Not Chmura anyway. He did what he did on 4/8/2000. The Packers released him on 6/5/2000. As for Verba, he didn’t become an asshole after leaving the Packers. He always was one, but you can’t get Green Bay police to do anything regarding Packer thugs unless they’re black. He was one of Ron Wolf’s “character guys” along with Mike Wahle, who was kicked out of Navy for getting busted using steroids.

  15. VoxVeritas says:
    November 28, 2009 8:49 AM
    “Only problem was both Verba and Chumra were serviceable players in Green Bay, both encountered their problems after leaving the Packers.”
    Ahhhh, no. Not Chmura anyway. He did what he did on 4/8/2000. The Packers released him on 6/5/2000. As for Verba, he didn’t become an asshole after leaving the Packers. He always was one, but you can’t get Green Bay police to do anything regarding Packer thugs unless they’re black. He was one of Ron Wolf’s “character guys” along with Mike Wahle, who was kicked out of Navy for getting busted using steroids.
    ——————————
    Once again, a Cowboys fan trying to highlight another team’s low character guys. Irony or hypocrisy? I say both.

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