There has been no information shared that Marek had placed bets with his draft knowledge, and the Gambling authority could not confirm that Marek himself was under investigation.
However, Marek does receive inside knowledge of draft picks moments before they happen, and is close friends with former NHL scout Mark Seidel, who correctly picked multiple draft picks on social media. Now, Seidel has deleted social media posts and may also be under investigation. In 2020, Seidel correctly posted the first 12 draft picks. Still, Marek himself is apparently not a fan of gambling.
It's an extremely tough situation for Marek if this is the only reason he's departing Sportsnet. He did not place any bets himself, gain financially at all, or disseminate the information to the public - but he may have provided that information to Seidel, who may have broken some rules. The NHL has extremely strict gambling rules, and they will always move quickly to ensure the sanctity of the sport and the gambling companies' wallets.
Even after this incident, hopefully Marek lands on his feet elsewhere. By hockey fans and even others in the media, he's one of the favourites in the broadcasting landscape.
Source: The Athletic
Marek let go amid Gambling investigation
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1 AOUT | 163 ANSWERS Shocking reason for Jeff Marek firing by Sportsnet revealed Do you think Marek should have been fired if that's all he did? | ||
Yes | 43 | 26.4 % |
No | 104 | 63.8 % |
See Results | 16 | 9.8 % |
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