On July 19, 2021, Felipe Hernandez was listed on the unavailability for a match against the San Jose Earthquakes. Hernandez was listed as unavailable due to “personal reasons”. As the season wore on, Felipe’s continued unavailability combined with Peter Vermes’ tight lipped answers, led to rampant speculation among the Sporting Kansas City fanbase about the cause of Hernandez’s absence.
On October 8, 2021, Major League Soccer and Sporting Kansas City announced that Felipe Hernandez had been suspended for the duration of the season for gambling on MLS matches. The league disclosed that their investigation began in July when Hernandez approached Sporting Kansas City in fear for his safety due to his gambling debts.