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The former NFL player allegedly linked to a Mafia-run gambling ring that stunned the nation has been identified, according to reports.
On Friday, an alleged victim of the gambling operation claimed that he'd been swindled out of $1million in a single night and that an ex-NFL star had been involved.
The man, who remained anonymous, alleged to the New York Post that Curtis Meeks - who was named in the federal indictment on Thursday - was present, along with the former football star.
Now, it's been reported that Hall of Fame tight end Antonio Gates was the former NFL star in question, according to Pablo Torre, who has extensively reported on the scandal.
His report claims that Gates 'hosted and played' in a rigged poker game in Miami, which was allegedly organized by the aforementioned Meeks.
At the time of writing, Gates has not been formally accused of any wrongdoings and was not named in the federal indictment released on Thursday.
Ex-NFL star Antonio Gates was allegedly involved in the Mafia-led gambling operation which shocked the nation and saw multiple NBA stars arrested earlier in the week
It's alleged that Gates, who spent 16-years in the league, was present during a private, high-stakes poker game organized by Curtis Meeks, who was named in the federal indictment
DailyMail.com has reached out to Gates' agent and the Chargers for comment.
Gates, 45, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame earlier this year following his 16-year career in the league. He spent his entire time with the Chargers.
Since hanging up his cleats in 2018 he has remained a part of the franchise and currently works as a Legends Ambassador for the Los Angeles-based team.
The FBI's investigation into the alleged Mafia-led gambling ring, meanwhile, sparked concern across the nation after multiple NBA stars were arrested earlier this week.
Just days later, the alleged victim claimed that an ex-NFL star was involved in a private, high-stakes poker game which saw him and his friends lose out on $1 million.
The individual explained: 'Those guys cheated with a device, and they cheated me and cheated other people who were good people. And they used a star athlete.
'They used the star to do it. They had us excited. The only reason they were able to pull this off was because they had a professional athlete in place,' the source said.
'We knew that it was a device because of how they would push. It wasn't like a thing where they could see the backs of cards. It was like, let's go all in before any cards even come out.
'They wouldn't let up in trying to get their money. It got scarier and scarier. Serious threats were made. Ultimately, we just agreed to pay them,' the victim explained.
The individual, who chose to keep the former NFL star anonymous at the time, did not indicate that the player was the person making threats.
The NBA was plunged into chaos earlier this week after the FBI launched a series of overnight arrests that saw Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups detained
DailyMail.com obtained a picture showing Billups (left) at a poker table in 2019 alongside two alleged co-conspirators; Sophia Wei (middle) and Saul Becher (behind Wei)
An alleged victim of the operation claimed Curtis Meeks was involved in an alleged rigged game that saw him and his friends lose $1million in a single night
He alleges that it was initially planned for the ex-NFL star to join their poker game at a public location. However, he claims it was then changed to his high-rise apartment.
The alleged victim then claims that, once he and his friends arrived, the host doubled the buy-in price from $10,000 to $20,000.
Meeks was among 31 individuals arrested in connection to the alleged poker ring, along with Angelo Ruggiero Jr, the son of late Gambino captain Angelo 'Quack Quack' Ruggiero Sr.
An attorney for Meeks was not listed, and his family could not be reached for comment. DailyMail.com has also reached out to the NFL for comment.
According to the FBI's indictment, rigged poker games took place in Manhattan, the Hamptons and Las Vegas. The operation is allegedly tied to the Gambino, Bonanno and Genovese crime families.
In Thursday's press conference, United States Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. outlined the breathtaking methods used by the group to rig games.
It is alleged that New York's notorious crime families would use X-ray tables to tilt games in their favor and wear special high-tech contact lenses to read pre-marked cards.
He said in a press conference on Thursday: 'The defendants used a variety of very sophisticated cheating technologies, some of which were provided by other defendants in exchange for a share of the profits from the scheme.
This multi-million-dollar townhouse in New York City was of many properties leveraged to run the alleged Mafia-led illegal betting operation that has rocked the NBA
The Mafia allegedly used X-ray tables and high-tech contact lenses to read people's cards
They allegedly rigged shuffling machines to read the cards in the deck and predict hands
'They used off the shelf shuffling machines that had been secretly altered in order to read the cards in the deck, predict which player at the table had the best poker hand and relay that information to an off-site operator.
'The off-side operator sent the information via cellphone back to a co-conspirator at the table, who was known as "the quarterback", and they secretly signaled the information they had received to others at the table and together they used that information in order to win the games and cheat their victims.
'Defendants used other cheating technologies, such as poker chip tray analyzers - which is a poker chip try that secretly reads cards using a hidden camera - special contact lenses or glasses that could read pre-marked cards and an X-ray table that could read cards faced down on the table.'
A photo showing indicted NBA coach Chauncey Billups at a poker table alongside two alleged co-conspirators was obtained by DailyMail.com earlier in the week.
Along with Portland head coach Billups, former Cleveland Cavalier Damon Jones was also detained. Meanwhile, Terry Rozier was arrested over a separate case.
Rozier and Billups have both denied the allegations through their attorneys.
In the wake of the indictment, the NFL released their own statement to teams across the league reminding them of the rules surrounding betting.
The statement read: 'This week, the U.S. Justice Department announced two federal indictments relating to illegal gambling conspiracies involving NBA players and coaches.
'These developments underscore the risks that all sports are facing in the current environment and serve as a reminder of the need to adhere strictly to the NFL Gambling Policy. The Gambling Policy is attached to this memo.
The full statement which was sent to teams in the league amid the gambling controversy
The memo outlined three rules in regards to betting that all NFL players must follow
'Players should be reminded that they are prohibited from participating in, or facilitating, any form of illegal gambling-whether on sports, casino games, or otherwise.
'Not only are NFL players expressly prohibited from placing any wager on NFL games, players, and/or activities, such as the Draft, such conduct will also likely subject players to criminal prosecution as various state laws ban insiders (like NFL players) from betting on their own sports'.
Back in 2023, a report by NBC Sports - which carried comments from a league source - claimed that one player had lost $8million from gambling during 2022.
Meanwhile, Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley was suspended by the NFL for the 2022 season for betting on league games during his sabbatical from football.
