5 players across the NFL have been suspended for violating the league’s gambling policy according to reports.
Amongst the group, 4 Detroit Lions players, and 1 member of the Washington Commanders have been suspended for varying lengths following the conclusion of an internal investigation.
Lions WR Quintez Cephus and S C.J. Moore have each been suspended indefinitely for betting on NFL games, as was Commanders DE Shaka Toney. The trio will be eligible to apply for reinstatement after one year.
Sophomore WRs Jameson Williams and Stanley Berryhill have each been suspended for six games after findings determined that they placed bets at the team facility via mobile devices, but did not wager on NFL games.
In a prepared statement, Lions GM Brad Holmes remarked “As a result of an NFL investigation, it came to our attention that a few of our players had violated the league’s gambling policy…These players exhibited decision making that is not consistent with our organizational values and violates league rules. We have made the decision to part ways with Quintez and C.J. immediately. We are disappointed by the decision making demonstrated by Stanley and Jameson and will work with both players to ensure they understand the severity of these violations and have clarity on the league rules moving forward.”
On the Washington side of the equation, the team released the following statement “We have cooperated fully with the NFL’s investigation since receiving notice and support the league’s findings and actions…All further questions on the topic should be directed to the NFL League Office.”
With the Commanders being in the midst of a record setting sale, the franchise is being understandably tight lipped regarding the findings of the NFL investigation.
Detroit has already announced that both Cephus and Moore have been released by the team. In a separate round of dismissals, reports indicate that numerous Detroit staff members from various departments were released in March as a result of gambling policy violations as well.
The punishments fall in line with the precedent that the league set with their full year suspension of current Jaguars WR Calvin Ridley in 2022. Ridley was forced to sit out last year after placing bets in November of 2021 when he was a member of the Falcons organization.
While both Williams and Berryhill will be eligible to participate in OTA’s, training camp, and preseason activities, they will be unavailable until week 7 of the NFL season at the earliest.
In a statement released by Williams’ agents, Alliance Sports, the 2nd year receiver apologized to fans for letting them down. They did however stop short of admitting fault, instead chalking the situation up to a technicality.
“Jameson takes full responsibility for his actions and is very apologetic to the NFL, his teammates and the fans and city of Detroit,” Alliance Sports said. “However, it is important to note that Jameson’s violation was not for betting on football but rather due to a technical rule regarding the actual location in which the online bet was placed — and which would otherwise be allowed by the NFL outside of the club’s facility. Jameson would never intentionally jeopardize the integrity of the game he loves so much and looks forward to getting back to his team as soon as possible.”
In 6 games with Detroit in 2022, Williams had 1 reception for 41 yards and a TD.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner
Photo: All-Pro Reels. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.