Former Coventry City midfielder Andy Blair was conned out of £10k by someone he treated as a son.
According to the Coventry Telegraph, Blair had known Kieran Kearney since he was fifteen and given him a job and financial assistance.
However a court heard Mr Kearney used £10k of Blair's company's money to fund his gambling habit.
Kearney avoided an immediate prison sentence, with Judge Drew opting to suspend a 12 month term for two years.
Kearney was ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work in his spare time.