O'Neill allegedly believes, due to their poor form in the Premier League, fans would take it the players had their thoughts elsewhere.
A number of players from the first team are thought to have been guests of bookmakers Bet365 for yesterday's opening day of action.
Despite spending £50,000 on travel and accommodation, the players were told by O'Neill that they didn't deserve to be at the races following their 3-1 defeat to Queens Park Rangers, according to the Daily Mail.
Six points away from the drop zone, the visit of Norwich is a must-win fixture for the players.
But is the ban a bit OTT?
Source: Sunderland-Mad
Source: FOOTYMAD
